Ethereal Vision
by Spyridon
Summary: COMPLETE: Ancient Ninjetti powers are called back to duty but will the dark past of the Sentinel Commander break the fledgling team or will he let himself fall? AU FIC BillyOC
1. Deep Sleep Dreaming

**REVIEWS ARE GREATLY A****PPRECIATED!**

Story Summary- Will has finally escaped Rita's prison and arrives on Phaedos. His wounds heal and the Ninjetti Sentinels are called to active service. The new team begins to train underneath Dulcea and Ninjor. But will the new trust between the Sentinels break as dark memories, lies, and anger rises? Or will it drive Will to the breaking point? And does he want to be saved?

Author's Notes- Takes place after 'What I've Done' and before 'The Valley of the Shadow of Death'. 'My Heart's a Battleground won't be worked on until this story is finished. Based on Evanescence's song 'Bring Me to Life'. Jason, Trini, Zack, Kim, Tommy, Rocky, Adam, Aisha, Kat, and Tanya will only make short cameo appearances in talk between Sentinels, memories, dreams, and flashbacks.

Rated M for language, vague and graphic violence, and vague references

Pairings- Billy/OC, other OC/OC pairings, Tommy/Kim (ref)

Ethereal Vision Prologue- Deep Sleep Dreaming

He was floating in something warm and comforting, a feeling of protectiveness filling his soul. There wasn't a care in the world that bothered him, no pain, no suffering; no more injury to what was left of his soul. He didn't want to leave. He just wanted to stay here forever.

But something called to him, called for him to wake up from this peaceful slumber.

Slowly, he opened his eyes.

His sight came back little by little.

That's when he noticed he was submerged in gel-like substance. He panicked. He tried to swim to the surface, to pull his head above the surface. The urge to breath overrode his mind and he breathed in. His lungs began to burn and he started to choke.

His hands grabbed the side of the side of what felt like a boulder. Heaving himself up, he pulled his body out of the water, throwing up, the thick water sputtering out his mouth and nose. He began to shiver, the air colder than the water.

Warm arms wrapped around him and he instinctively flinched. He tried to pull away but his body was tired from the exertion of leaving the pool. The second thing he realized was he was naked from his toes to the top of his head. He felt vulnerable, exposed. He shivered at the memories that were beginning to pour back into his mind. He was surprised when it stopped as if something had slammed between him and them.

"It is alright, young wolf. You are safe." The cold teen looked up, right in bright green eyes, a smile on the beautiful woman's face.

"Who are you?" He croaked out, throat sore and burning.

She smiled. "I am Dulcea, Master Warrior of Phaedos and Guardian of the Great Power. Come, you are cold."

He was surprised when she picked him up like if he was a small child, head cradled against her warm breast. The swinging movement of her body lulled him back to sleep.

(VvVvVvVvV)

_There was white wolf watching him, amber eyes staring into his soul. _

_Warily he moved and the eyes tracked him. What it going to attack him. Should he attack it? He picked up a rock, moving slightly away. _

_"Don't run, little one." The wolf stood up on its legs moving toward him. He was about to turn tail and run when he suddenly dropped the rock. He was even more surprised when he dropped to his knees before the large animal. _

_The pristine white lord walked before him, eyes seeming to measure him up. The large head was an inch from his own face. _

_The wolf placed its head on his shoulder, snuggling into his neck. _

_He instinctively placed his arms around the powerful neck. _

_"Welcome to the pack, young cub." _

(VvVvVvVvV)

He woke up.

He was in bed, thick blankets covering him. He moved, feeling himself still naked. A tingling sensation in his lower body told him he had to find a bathroom fast. Making sure no one was watching, he made his way out of the bed and heading to the closest door to him. He was relieved to find a simple bathroom even if it wasn't modern.

Relieving himself, he headed back to the main bedroom, wanting to search for clothes. He stumbled when Dulcea appeared out of nowhere. Scrambling to the bed, he pulled the covers off to cover himself.

Dulcea only gave a smile. "Here are your clothes. They will keep you warm while you are here." She placed a small bundle of clothing on the only available table in the bedroom. Once you are ready, I will come for you."

"Thanks." He watched as Dulcea left, quietly out the other door. Quickly, he dropped the covers and moved toward the bundle. Unraveling it, he separated the white clothing. He slipped on the white pants. The shirt was like a tunic, a cloth in a V- shape that went down to his waist, bordered by gold trim lines two inches from the edge. The belt went around his waist, holding the tunic in place. Once done, it looked like he was wearing a cross between a tunic and a gi. Pulling on the white moccasins, he tried out the clothes. He moved, the soft, warm cloth moving with him, not hampering any movement.

He moved back to the bed, fixing it so it looked like no one had slept in it.

"I see that you are ready, young cub."

Shocked, he turned around. He said the first thing that came to mind when he saw Dulcea standing there. "Why do you keep calling me that?"

"You will soon see." She turned around. "Follow me."

As they walked down a stone passage way, he noticed she was wearing what looked like a bikini. Confused, he continued following her. They ended up in what looked like a library, ancient looking scrolls and tomes that filled the large room.

"Take a seat, young one." Dulcea took a seat on the floor, crossing her legs Indian-style.

Unsure, he followed suit, sitting before her.

"What am I doing here?" He asked her.

"You came here by your choice." Dulcea stated firmly. She looked at him. "But first I must know your name."

He had a feeling that she already knew it but wasn't sure at the same time. "My name's William James Cranston. Or was." His face darkened as he said that.

"What is your name?"

He raised an eyebrow. Humoring her, he picked a new name for him as the old version of himself had died over eight months ago when his imprisonment began. "My name's Will."

"William." Dulcea nodded. "Do you now why you are here?"

"I thought you said that I came here by my choice?" He remembered the words he had spoken when he had teleported from Rita's palace.

"Yes, but why were you able to teleport here? Why did I know that I was needed that night when you arrived?" Dulcea stared at him, never flinching.

"I don't know!" Will was tensing, fists clenched on top of his knees.

"Do you believe in fate?"

Anger was beginning to bubble in him, shame, regret, red hot rage. "So it was fate what I had to suffer eight months of my life being Rita's slave, eight months worth of torture and humiliation?" He said tightly.

"No. But why were you sent here out of all places?" Dulcea leaned forward, hair moving slightly forward. "Have you heard of the Ninjetti?"

"No." Will replied leaning back from her.

"The Ninjetti were a legendary race among the stars, renowned for their knowledge of their skills in fighting and meditation. But greater still was what they guarded; the Great Power which resides in all creatures, only dormant." Dulcea held out a hand. Within her palm, a green fire erupted, the tongues turning a bright green, like a serpent. The fire went out.

"What was that?"

"The Great Power. You can be a Ninjetti, William if you allow me to train you in the ancient arts."

Will shook his head. "Yeah, right. I can't hold any more Powers. I destroyed the Grey Coin months ago." He stood up. Dulcea followed him, getting up more gracefully. "I have to go. Thanks for helping me." He made his way toward the other door.

Dulcea's hand shot out, catching him by the shoulder. On instinct, he grabbed her arm and was about to send a jab when she suddenly swept his feet out from under him. He landed on his back with a hard thump. Pain flared as she crushed her knee into his side, driving his breath from him. Will froze when he felt her hand closed around his throat.

"Why do you flee?" Dulcea asked of him.

Will gazed angrily back at her, his hazel-green eyes burning with an inner flame. "Because I'm evil. I was Rita's evil Grey Ranger. I almost killed my friend and my family and I have paid for it. Now, let me go." He struggled despite the lock she had him in.

"Because an evil witch chose you to serve her don't mean you are evil. Unless you accepted of your own free will."

Will let out a scream, trying desperately to get away. "I tried, god, I tried! I couldn't break free at first." His head slumped against the floor, his eyes closing in defeat, body going lax. "I tried but she was too strong. But the more she tried to make me hers, the more I fought. But it doesn't matter. It wasn't enough." Tears were streaming down his face.

He barely noticed her knee was removed.

"I see now why you were chosen." Her words brought him back.

"What?"

Dulcea stared at him. "You truly have the heart of the Ninjetti within you."

"That can't be true." He sat up, a hand on his side.

"It is." Dulcea walked to one of the shelves, pulling a book from the rest. "A long time ago, the Master Warriors created the Elite Guard, the finest warriors ever to serve in the Ninjetti ranks. Eleven were chosen to carry the Ninjetti Crests; Courage, Faith, Fortitude, Friendship, Honor, Hope, Justice, Love, Loyalty, Sincerity, Wisdom. They were trained in all forms of hand-to-hand combat, how to funnel the Power into projectiles, shields, weapons, or into their bodies for close combat. Their training includes the use of poisons, their antidotes, stealth tactics, and infiltration, realm-shifting, time-shifting, and shape-shifting. They were trained to be the most lethal human weapons possible."

She squatted before him. Opening the book to a page, she set it before him. The large hand drawn picture showed eleven symbols that he didn't recognize. One caught his eye. With a trembling hand, he traced it. "From the eleven, two were chosen to hold the rank of Commander and Captain, to lead the Sentinels into battle."

"They were watchers against the darkness, shadows in the night, guardians of life, true warriors." She said quietly. "They stood between the forces of evil and the intended victims, sometimes they were the only ones. But after the Battle of Rainier, the Sentinels became inactive and fell into myths. I believe you are one of them, William."

"What about the others?" He said distractedly tracing each of the symbols.

"They are being assembled. They should be arriving soon." Dulcea stood up. "I will go bring some refreshments."

Her words flew over his head as he started flipping through the book, catching a glimpse of the Sentinel's past.

(VvVvVvVvV)

**Spyridon- So here's the bridge between 'What I've Done' and 'The Valley of the Shadow of Death'. Please leave a review, I want to know what you think, even it it is flames, eggs, candy, whatever. **

**Catch ya laterz!**


	2. I'm My Own Worse Enemy

Ethereal Vision Chapter Two- I'm My Own Worst Enemy

Dulcea had left Will alone for some time after dropping off the refreshments. After reading some of the book, he had decided to explore the cavern system he was in. He discovered eleven rooms which he assumed were like his own. They were all centered on the library which seemed to be the common room. There were five main passage ways, one leading to the outside world he assumed and the other four seemed to be the spokes of the circular sixth passage that connected all the entrances to the single dormitories.

No sooner had he taken his seat in the library when he looked up to see a man with similar features to Dulcea, dressed in long blue robes trimmed in gold. His black eyes were gentle, a smile on his lips. "Come, Ninjetti. The rest are waiting for you in the Dining Hall." His voice was deep.

As Will followed the man, he asked him his name.

"I am Ninjor, Ninja Master of Phaedos and forger of the Power Coins."

"You're the one who made the Coins!" Will exclaimed as they walked up a flight of steps.

"Yes. It is sad that the Grey and Green Coins fell into Rita's hands but thankfully both have been returned or taken from her." Ninjor turned to Will. "I thank you for destroying the Grey Coin. It was the right choice." Ninjor chuckled. "You must have been determined in destroying it. It takes a lot of strength to destroy it. They were made not to be destroyed easily."

"I know. It took me about two months."

"Very determined, indeed." The pair entered what looked like church hall, the ceiling arcing over head, and light pouring in from the open windows on either side. A long table was set in the middle, enough to fit sixteen people comfortably. Already, there were people there.

"Hey, there you! I guess you're the last one to join this crazy expedition." An African American stood up, the symbol of the San Diego Padres on his shirt a dead giveaway. "My name's Joseph Romero."

"Will." He ignored the offered hand. Joseph gave him a look. "Personal problem, not because of you."

"Oh." He still got a weird look.

"Take a seat, Will." Ninjor motioned toward the table. Will didn't look at the others as he took a seat farthest away from them. He could feel questions burning in the air. "I will see to the supper." Ninjor disappeared into another passage.

"So, where did they pick you up from?" A girl in a black skirt and red blouse asked.

"I was already here-"

"Dayleen Mazares." The girl supplied.

"I was already here, Dayleen. They didn't pick me up from anywhere."

"Gabriel Lewis. Why?" A Caucasian boy with blue-black hair and blue eyes said.

"I don't feel like talking about it." Will stated firmly. But the others didn't get the message.

"Jeez, man. We only wanted to talk. You don't have to act all high-class with us." Another blonde-haired boy said.

Will just shrugged.

"Calm down, Ryan." The Hispanic girl to his left said.

"Here you go." Ninjor came back in carrying a bowl of steaming something. He set it down in the middle. "Homemade stew." More figures came in; a robed figure walked in, carrying big plates of what looked like cheese, bread, and berries. Another figure carried pitchers of milk, water, and a bright purple liquid and the last one had plates, cups, spoons, knives, and forks.

"Eat." Ninjor said as he passed out the dishes. "My sister, Dulcea, should be returning soon." Food and drink were passed around as they all took portions of the provided meal.

"Who's Dulcea?" Another red headed girl asked; a petite one at that.

"She's the Master Warrior of Phaedos."

"Master Warrior? So, she's like Jet Li or Bruce Lee?" Joseph commented, taking a bite out his piece of bread.

"I do not know who these characters are but Dulcea is well-trained in the arts of fighting and has complete knowledge of the Spirits and the Great Power." Ninjor stated.

"Great Power? Sounds like the Power Rangers to me." Ryan said. "Is that why we are here?"

"The Power Rangers a more passive unit. The Ninjetti are more warrior-like in their teachings but are taught the balance of life and peace."

"This sounds more like a clash between Buddhism and fighting." Ryan sliced a piece of cheese off, placing it between thin slices of bread. "What's the difference between the two?"

"The Ninjetti are in tune with their Ninjetti Animal Spirits. The Rangers are derived from the Ninjetti line as a protective force. No killing is allowed, no use for personal gain, and the complete secrecy of oneself." Dulcea entered the room, staff in hand.

"I believe the no secrecy rule was kind of stupid myself." Ninjor took a sip from his cup.

"The predecessors of the Power Rangers; wow is all I got to say." Dayleen said, getting nods from the others.

"The Ninjetti have been silent for over two thousand millennia. But the Ninjetti Sentinels have been silent for two hundred years more." Dulcea stared at them, the look in her eyes intense. "I believe with the arrival of William here, the Ninjetti Sentinels will rise once more."

"So, that's way he's acting that way." Ryan whispered to Joseph, thinking Will wouldn't hear it.

But the physical upgrades he had been given by Finster and forced down his throats by Goldar, he heard them. With empty eyes, he turned to the startled teen. "Don't say anything about me if you don't know what the hell I've been through!" He snarled.

Ryan came right back. "Just because something happened to you doesn't give you the right to yell at us. Whatever happened to you might be insignificant compared to what the people of Angel Grove is going through thanks to the Grey Ranger. Once you go to the ruined lives and ask them how they are doing, you'll see what I mean." He stopped when he saw the shoulders of the suddenly quiet teen slump in defeat.

Will turned way, the words the other boy had said, hitting him right in the soul; _compared to what the people of Angel Grove is going through thanks to the Grey Ranger._ "I know what they are going through, thank you very much." He opened them and looked at Ryan straight in the face. "I know very well since I was the Grey Ranger."

Ryan reeled back. "You're the Grey Ranger?!"

"What the hell were you thinking? Attacking Angel Grove? You did it for kicks? For the heck of destroying the city? What?" A Hispanic male said, getting up from his seat, eyes blazing with fury at Will.

"Mark, calm down." An African American girl laid an arm on the standing teen, her blue eyes begging. "Let him talk."

"Let him talk! He's dangerous, Kayla!"

Will stood there, watching the emotions play on all of their faces. One of them was looking at him, her blue-grey eyes boring into him. Something rose up in him but survival instincts kicked in. He rammed it down to the darkest parts of his mind, locking it behind all the walls he had built when he lost his mom. Deciding to ignore her, he looked at Kayla. "He's right. I am dangerous. I don't know why I'm still here." Without a word, he left the table, heading back to his room.

His heart was pounding in his head, hands clenching and unclenching. He opened the door, walked in and closed it. There were no locks. He couldn't' sit still, so he paced the room.

Mark was right. He was a threat to everything and anything that lived or moved. Why else did he destroyed the city he had come to love and was his second home?

Dark memories rose up within him, poisoning his mind. Images of blood; pain; hate; all of them poured back into his consciousness, taunting him. He stopped pacing, hands going to his head. Echoes of cries, screams, and laughter rung in his ears. He tried pushing the memories back to the corners of his mind, trying to bury it.

He lost.

With a furious scream he lashed out the wall, the stone digging into his knuckles. Punch after punch landed. Lost in his haze of pain and fury, he didn't see the blood gathering on the pristine white stone nor the pain radiating from his hand, particularly the knuckles.

Arms wrapped around him, trapping his arms at his side. He continued to scream, struggling to get away. "Let me go! Let me go!"

"You're safe, Will. You're free." Dulcea's calm voice came down but it barely penetrated the gripping haze. "It wasn't your fault, William. It wasn't you."

Will turned eyes filled with self-loathing and hate at her. "Yes, it was. I should have fought harder. If only I wasn't a weakling." He pushed away from her, putting more distance between him and her until his back hit a wall. "My fault. She made me into the Grey Ranger. I'll never be free." He lifted his clenched right hand, the burned image of the Grey Velociraptor Coin white on his skin. "She's made hers and she placed her mark on me, both physically and emotionally." 

"That's why there isn't anything for me." He said quietly, letting his hand fall into his lap.

"So you're just going to give up?" Startled, Will turned to the open doorway and was dismayed to see the rest of the teens standing there. Some of them had guilty looks, others had horrified looks, and others still had other looks he couldn't identify. The red head girl stepped forward. "What was the point of escaping if you're not going to do anything?"

"I only escaped because I didn't want to be used against my friends or be tortured to death by Goldar." Will said.

"Your friends?" The teen with dark brown hair and brown eyes walked forward, taking a seat on Will's side, who instinctively flinched and moved away. "You know the Rangers?" The boy shifted the topic, seeing Will didn't want to talk about his time under Rita's hands.

"Yes. They were my best and only friends. They became Rangers and Rita wanted her two evil Rangers. She picked me and another boy I was somewhat familiar with." Will looked at his scarred hand. "At least, they were my ex-friends. They will never be able to forgive for what I did to them." He felt the question burning in the air but one that no body was willing to ask. "I attacked and threatened to kill their families."

"Well, being under the control of a psychopath, I understand." Joseph said.

"Back to the topic." The boy turned to Will. "The thing is, you had no control over your body or mind, which is far worse. Now that you're free, you should learn how to take control of your life again. You need to believe in yourself that you can see yourself through. Personally, I would find a way to kick Rita's ass back into the hell hole she crawled out from." 

"She came from a garbage dumpster." Will supplied.

"Even better. She can suffer from the stink." Joseph quipped.

Will looked at the scar again. A girl with light brown hair walked forward and covered his hand with hers, ignoring the blood that seeped from the cuts on his knuckles. "Don't worry about it, Will."

"I can't stop. It's the mark of my slavery."

"No, it's not." She hissed. His bent head snapped up, shock reflecting in his eyes from her exclamation.

"My dad used to serve in the British military. He was sent to Iraq during Desert Storm with his lone squad of men. He saw as his friends and comrades in the American military got captured or killed which some didn't come back to their families, not even in a wooden box. Those who did come back had scars; some physical, all emotional. Some couldn't hack it and killed themselves. Others just lived to exist. But few decided they would continue fighting for their lives. I remember a close family friend said that the wounds he had received weren't the marks of a POW, rather they were the marks of a survivor. One who made it back, limping and hurting but truly alive." She traced the scar on his hand. Her fingers slid under, feeling for a pulse which was steady and strong. She took his other hand and moved it to where he could feel his own heartbeat. "This is the greatest gift ever. To live and be free. You now have a choice, Will. You can either die here by slicing your wrist, live a worthless life, or you can fight for happiness that you DO deserve."

Will looked down, his heart pushing blood through out his body. At first, he wanted to kill himself, just to take a blade and slice his throat. He looked up and stared into her piercing blue-grey eyes.

Will chose.

"I'll fight."

The boy next to him clapped his hands. "Good damn choice." He extended his hand. "Hi, I'm Scott Lopez. I would glad to have you as one of my friends."

Will shifted. Should he take it? He looked at the girl before him. He did just say he was going to fight. He looked at Scott who features were starting to shift a little. He grasped the hand.

Scott let go after a couple of seconds and stood up, pulling Will up to his feet. "Come on, Will. Let's me introduce to the group." He pointed at the girl who had talked to him. "This is the lovely Rebekkah Knight." Will nodded at her.

"Over here, the red-head is Jessie Rios. She's an emotional spitfire." The girl stuck out her tongue at Scott. "See?"

"This chick with the brown hair and eyes is Toni Alanis. The girl who defended you at the table is Kayla Bodden. You've already met Gabriel, Dayleen, and Joseph. The blonde haired boy is Ryan Gage and the last one is Mark Ramirez."

"Sorry, man. I didn't mean to get on your case. It's just that-" Mark shrugged his shoulders. "Can you give me a second chance to be your friend?"

Will nodded once. "Yeah, I guess."

"That's the spirit!" Scott lumped on the back. "Now we have this settled, let's head back. I'm hungry!" The others gave quiet chuckles. The group moved off but Dulcea's voice called out.

"William, a word?" The others looked at him but seeing Dulcea's look, they left. The now calm teen stood before Dulcea who had been sitting on the bed, watching them. "You need to place faith in your team, William. Do not close yourself off because of another's actions."

"It's hard."

"Of course it will be. Life is never easy, challenges at every turn, more risks to take. But then, that is why we live. Give me your hands." Will handed them to her. Dulcea closed her eyes, beginning to chant an ancient healing prayer. Will felt warmth spreading across his hands. The small cuts and bruises began to heal, fading away as she continued. The pain lessened until the damage he had done to himself was gone. Dulcea opened her eyes, standing abruptly. "Now, we should head back. Your new friends will be worried about you."

Will let himself be guided back to the Dining Hall.

(VvVvVvVvV)

The meal had gone way better than the first time. Though he was still quiet, the others were more accepting of his moods. He had taken his distanced seat again but this time Scott sat with, Rebekkah taking one on the other side. The rest had moved closer but not crowding his space.

He slipped underneath the covers. He stared up at the spot where he had lashed out, noticing the blood was gone. One of the attendants must have done it.

Will moved his line of sight to the ceiling. Today, he had people who interested in becoming his friends despite knowing what he once was. The tiniest of the coldest coals within his souls began to heat up.

He let it.

But the other one, the one dealing with Rebekkah was shoved once more to the back of his mind. Closing his eyes, he drifted off to sleep.

(VvVvVvVvV)

_He was back in the forest, the lush dark green vegetation wrapping itself around the great bases of the large trees that towered over head. The fading sunlight filtered through the thick canopies, sending beams of dying light here and there. Birds called to each other, hidden by the numerous branches and leaves. _

_Will walked slowly forward, hearing the bubbling of a brook nearby. His bare feet felt the soft moss underneath, the occasional crunching of leaves here and there. _

"_Young cub." Will turned around to see the White Wolf standing behind him, amber eyes glowing with inner light. "I see you have met your pack mates."_

"_My pack mates?"_

"_Those who will journey with you through the darkness and the light." The White Wolf gracefully padded up to Will, rubbing his large head against Will's hip. The teen slid his hand through the silky fur. The Wolf gave one final nudge before heading back down. "Come with me, my son. Run with me into the night. The Pack is calling to us." _

_Will felt a familiar yet new sensation come over him; burning into his skin yet soothing it. He felt his body shift, legs changing, muscles tearing apart to adjust to the shifting bones. With an echoing howl, he followed the White Wolf into the forest. _

(VvVvVvVvV)


	3. Building Up Bridges Now

Ethereal Vision Chapter Three- Building Up Bridges Now

The sun rose, casting the darkness of the night away as the assembled teens walked into the ancient ruins of the Ninjetti. They were all dressed in similar clothes like Will. Their breath streamed from their mouths and nose, clouds of mists in the air.

"Good morning." Dulcea stepped from one the columns, still dressed in the bikini. A couple of the boys and girls rose eyes at that. Though they were warm in their clothing, they could still feel the chill of the air on their faces. "Gather around the fire."

"What f-" Mark was cut off as a fire roared into exist in the fire-pit set in the ground. "That answers my question." The others smiled. Moving they formed a loose semicircle.

The Master Warrior leaned her staff against the small altar set on the other side of the fire. She pulled a small pouch from her belt. Pouring some powder into her hand, she placed the pouch within the bowl on the altar. Turning to them she spoke. "Within each living being, there are animal spirits waiting to be awakened. Close your eyes and look into yourselves." Dulcea watched as they followed her request, closing their eyes, and breathing out slowly. With a smile, she blew the powder into the flames.

The flames roared higher, mists of colors swirling around it. She watched as the mists swirled outward, flying toward the teenagers. The light grew, twisting and swirling with power. Finally, in a small explosion, the colors flew outward, disappearing back into the flames. The fire returned back to its original height. Before her, now stood eleven Ninjetti recruits. Each one had two colors on their uniforms, their Animal Spirits marked on their headbands.

Smiling, Dulcea picked up her staff and headed to the first in the line.

"Dayleen, you are the feared Komodo Dragon, intelligent and fierce." Her white uniform was now a silvery gray, the two inch edge a bright red, the reptile on her headband.

"Scott, you are the agile and deadly Serpent." The two inch edge was dark green, the base color a royal purple, his Animal Spirit on the badge of his headband.

"Fearless Toni, you are the aggressive Badger, lady of the earth." The young girl's uniform had a base of dark brown with the two inch edge in dark gold.

"Joseph, you are the free Mustang, lord of the open plains." His white uniform now had a base of white with a dark yellow edge.

"You are the silent Panther, Mark, the lord of the jungle." The young teen's base color was black with a trim of indigo.

"Gabriel, you are the Owl, the silent hunter of the forest." His uniform had a base of dark green with a trim of black.

"Kayla, you are the clever Fox, gentle sister of the Wolf." She was outfitted in a uniform of white with a trim of deep orange.

"Jessie, you are the Squirrel, small but wary." Her base color was amber, the trim a sun-rose color.

"Ryan, you are the daring Osprey, lord of the coast." His uniform was in a grey Ninjetti uniform with a trim of white.

"Rebekkah, you are the ferocious tigress, active hunter of the night." Her base uniform was orange with a silver trim.

"And William, you are the proud Wolf, cunning and swift, Lord of the Forest." His base uniform was black, a trim of bright blue on his.

She walked to the edge of the cliff. The others joined her. "Beyond the Neola Jungle lies the Monolith, where the Great Power resides. All Ninjetti Quest there. But for you, you must Quest to the Temple of the Sentinels which lies on the other side and is even more heavily guarded. You will be tested. Those who fail will not survive to come back." Dulcea looked at them. "But I have faith in all of you."

She walked to the fire. "May your Animal Spirits protect and guide you on your journey." Green light swirled around Dulcea, her form changing into a white Owl. The bird gave a hoot and flew off.

"Didn't see that coming." Mark said.

"When should we leave?" Joseph said, looking at the Monolith in the distance, the sun lighting it up.

"Right now." Will looked at them. After a couple of seconds, they nodded.

Making their way slowly down the cliff, he led the way.

(VvVvVvVvV)

Their journey was completely uneventful. By the time they reached the base of the Monolith, they were tired, sweaty, and ready to drop. Not wanting to walk through the night to reach the Temple of the Sentinels, the entire group decided they should rest within the boundaries of the Temple of the Great Power.

Joseph found a small rock of flint and a rock, and began to streak them in a small pit dug by Jessie. The spark caught and the leaves and twigs began to burn. Will and Dayleen searched for large rocks to line the edge of the pit while others cleaned some spots that looked comfortable enough.

"I wonder if those berries are edible enough." Mark asked out loud, seeing some mammals picking at a large bush shrouded in shadow.

"They're eating it." Toni moved forward, scaring the animals away. "Should we risk it?"

"Just because they were eating it doesn't mean that we'll be able to eat it. They could have developed immunity to it." Joseph said, taking one from the bush. It was a dark red violet.

"I'll try it." Will plucked one from the bush. Hesitating a moment, he ate it. Licking his lips, he looked at the others. "Well, for starters, it tasted like a blueberry."

"This doesn't mean shit as we are on an alien world." Dayleen stated.

"I feel fine." Will said. The others looked at each other.

"Well, here's to taking a risk." Mark plucked one and ate it. "If I die, then you'll know not to eat it."

"Screw it." Ryan took one.

Shrugging their shoulders, the rest followed, eating their fill. Overhead, they heard the angry chatter of the small animals as the amount of berries decreased until all the Sentinels were full.

"It might not have been a feast but it did the job." Mark groaned as he sat back, the light dancing over his features. They were now sitting around the fire, Relaxing after their exertion.

One by one, they fell off to sleep, the sounds of the Neola Jungle washing over them.

(VvVvVvVvV)

Will woke up, tense and alert.

Someone was getting near him.

His hand flashed out and caught the person by the wrist. He heard an exclamation of pain.

"Will, let me go." Shaking his head, trying to clear the webs, he peered at the person. It was Rebekkah. Will released her.

"Sorry." He rolled away, getting to his feet. Not looking at her, he checked the others. Ryan, Gabriel, and Jessie were still sleeping as the others were collecting more of the berries.

"I'm going to go and wake up the others." Will nodded, Rebekkah heading off to wake the last ones.

"We should get there by nightfall at the latest." Dayleen said, walking up to him.

"If we hike it, we can get there by midday."

"Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine. I just overreacted." Will shifted uncomfortably. "You tend to learn a couple of things when you're imprisoned." His tone of voice gave him away.

"You can talk to us." Dayleen offered. She saw the look the troubled teen gave her. "We can all see that what ever happened to you during your imprisonment has greatly affected, besides the fact of the trauma you would have gotten from being the evil Ranger."

"You don't want to know." Will started to walk away. She caught him by the arm.

"Hey, if we are going to be on the same team, then we need to learn how to trust each other. And that means every little shit that hits the fan. Don't you dare walk away from us without even trying."

Their raised voices were drawing the attention of the others. Will glared at them. They stared back.

"Come on, Will, at least trust us a little." Dayleen said.

He closed his eyes. "Give me time. I haven't been able to deal with it yet." He said.

The Komodo Ninjetti looked at him with her dark eyes. "That's a start. But when you need someone to talk to, we're here and we're not running away."

"I'll keep that in mind."

The group quickly ate their berries, covered the fire pit and started their way.

(VvVvVvVvV)

The sun was beating down on their backs as they climbed the cliff, the stone steps carved into the wall. Their clothes were ragged, blood from the dozens of cuts on their uniforms, bruises form slipping on the wet rocks of rivers.

Ryan shook his head. "If this is just a taste of training, then I don't want to know what the real thing would be."

"Probably get our asses whipped the first time." Joseph looked up at Will. "How many more steps until the top?"

"About ten meters straight up. We'll almost there." Will placed a hand on a protruding rock and leapt up and over. Little rocks fell down, falling the edge and hurling to the ground six hundred feet below.

The wear group continued to trudge onward, taking it slow so they wouldn't fall of the face of the cliff.

"At last." Gabriel exclaimed as they came out at the entrance to the Temple. "Wow, looks like a Greek or Roman temple."

"Those columns are huge!" Jessie ran up to one, the base over ten feet wide.

"Wait for us, Jess. We don't know what's in there." Will ordered, keeping an eye on the shadows. He waited fore every one to step onto the ground before taking point again. "Dulcea said that we'd face trials but not once have we been tested."

"This would mean that we are going to take it right now." No sooner had the words left Dayleen's mouth when thumps were heard. Jessie wheeled back as large figures moved from the shadows. The group came together.

The figures were over six feet tall with each carrying what looked like wooden staffs. Light armor covered their black-clad bodies, green eyes staring out at them through the mask.

"Not good."

"Well, at least they don't have steel weapons." Jessie remarked.

"We can do this. I don't plan on making that trip and wasting it for nothing by getting my butt kicked here." Toni said firmly.

"I heard that." Scott watched one as it moved around them.

"Everybody pair up. I can take care of myself." Will said, keeping eyes on the one that seemed to be the leader of the bunch. "Don't let them heard you to the edge of the cliff or push up against the wall. Keep as open as you can without exposing yourself."

"Okay." The group chorused.

The shadows attacked.

Thanks to his crash-course training with Goldar, Will reached up and caught as the shadow swung down with his staff. Forcing it to his side, Will kicked out with a high roundhouse kick. The leg strike slammed into the shadow's unprotected throat, crushing it. The shadow fell.

Using the staff, he swung around, jabbing the end of the staff into his next opponent's groin. He drove his knee into the fallen shadow's face.

The others were doing their best but they were only keeping the shadows at bay. Running, Will flipped over his group and landed behind the line of shadows. Two of them turned around and charged him. Stepping to the side, he tripped the first by sweeping its feet from under it. The second struck out with its staff, catching him in the shoulder. Will dropped it.

The shadow came again, swinging hard to hit him in the side of his face. Will dropped, blood coursing from where the skin had broken. He lashed out with his foot, hitting the man on groin. Moving quickly he punched the shadow in the throat.

Grabbing the dead shadow's stick he threw it to Ryan who seemed the most effective. Getting his own, he lunged into the fray. One by one, he took the staffs and handed them off to his team. Finally, after a long battle, the last shadow fell.

"Is everyone okay?" Will asked, breathing heavily.

"Yes." Toni whipped a hand across her face. "Shit, talk about being tested."

"Where did you learn those moves?" Ryan asked.

"From Goldar." He wasn't surprised when the bodies of the shadows disappeared into mists.

"Sorry."

"It's okay." Will say; Rebekkah rise an eyebrow at that but didn't comment. He was glad.

"Was there a glowing light before?" Jessie asked the others.

"Why?"

"Because there's light coming from the Temple."

"Be on alert." Will walked forward cautiously, staff held at the ready. Moving as quietly as they can, the group entered the Temple. The light was coming from the altar that stood at the other end on a raised platform.

"The Great Power has deemed you worthy." Dulcea stepped forward. "Stand before me." The ragged teens formed a line, confused. "It has looked into your hearts and judged them pure; it has looked into your soul, and found them light. The Crests have chosen their Holder. Open your mind and receive them."

The light separated into eleven orbs of light. The group watched in fascination as they floated toward them. They bobbed here and there until finally, they stepped, one before each of the teens.

"Toni, you are the Sentinel of Faith."

"Ryan, you are the Sentinel of Sincerity."

"Gabriel, you are the Sentinel of Wisdom."

"Kayla, you are the Sentinel of Justice."

"Joseph, you are the Sentinel of Loyalty."

""Mark, you are the Sentinel of Honor."

"Scott, you are the Sentinel of Friendship."

"Jessie, you are the Sentinel of Hope."

"Rebekkah, you are the Sentinel of Love."

"Dayleen, you are the Sentinel of Fortitude and the Captain of the Sentinels."

"And William, you are the Sentinel of Courage and the Commander of the Sentinels."

The lights moved faster than what the eye could follow. They screamed as pain erupted in their bodies, the Power binding itself to them. It was exhilarating and exhausting. The pain subsided.

"You are now the Sentinels of the Ninjetti." They screamed as one as the Power revived its attack, more and more pouring in as their minds, souls, and bodies were stretched to the limit. They passed out the last thing they heard was Dulcea say "You have finished your Quest, young Ninjetti."

(VvVvVvVvV)

Will looked up as Scott stumbled into the library where he was reading a book. He had woken up about twenty minutes ago. Not wanting to stay in his dorm, he took the chance to read the books and scrolls on the shelves.

"Did you catch the SUV that hit me?" Scott muttered as he let his head fall onto the table with a loud thump.

"No." Will answered, keeping an eye on the Serpent Ninjetti. "Are you okay?"

"Nope, but then again. I'm too exhausted to care." Scott scooted over until his head was looking over Will's shoulders. "What are you reading?"

"It's a book on what the Powers we received."

"And that would be?" 

"The eleven Ninjetti Crests."

"I got Friendship." Scott remembered that much.

"According to this, those who are given the Crest of Friendship are those who extend the hand of peace and understanding without judgment or prejudice." Will looked at Scott. "I think your Crest reflects you a lot."

"And what about you? I think you got the Crest of Courage."

"I did." Will stopped talking for a second before continuing. "Those who received the Crest of Courage are those who continued to be true to their morals and ethics even when others would have strayed from their path long before."

Scott gave Will a pat on the back. "See, man! You're not evil. This just proves it. Here let me see." Scott took the offered book and head for the first page that was written in. There was only a single line. "'The Crest of the ancient Ninjetti reflect the souls of their Guardians for the Crests do not make them; rather the Sentinels make the Crest.' This so proves it Will!"

"I do not know."

"How many times do you want us to repeat it, then?" Ryan walked into the library and flopped down the couch before the empty fireplace. "I mean, the Crests reflect the Sentinels, not vice versa."

Will leaned back, looking at the open page.

Scott, seeing Will was finished with the conversation for the time being, changed the subject. "What do you think Dulcea is going to put us through? I mean, I've never really fought anyone before."

"It might like be the Power Ranger battles or probably even more intense." Ryan said, picking up an object from the table closest to the couch. He threw it up into the air. "The Rangers are the Ninjetti successors."

"So she'll turn us into an elite fighting force." Scott said.

"Well, we'll have to be. There are evil forces out there who will be satisfied in killing us." Will said. "We'll have to learn how to protect ourselves and others."

"How we are going to get there?" The trio talked into the night, the first bonds being formed in the group between Will and the other Sentinels. Only, Will didn't know it.


	4. Love is Unpredictable

**REVEIWS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED!**

Ethereal Vision Chapter Four- Love Is Unpredictable

// How can you see into my eyes like open doors

Leading you down into my core where I've become so numb

Without a soul my spirit sleeping somewhere cold

Until you find it there and lead it back home //

Basically, Dulcea was the drill sergeant from Hell.

No doubt about it.

Their lives were filled with daily exercises as she molded them into an elite fighting unit. Before each sunrise, they would be awakened by the shadow attendants then two hours would be given to connecting themselves to the life around them, in knowing how to channel the Power into their bodies or learning how to access special techniques that required a great deal of meditation and focus. They would eat a big meal and afterward, they were sent on a cross county run. At first, the distance was short, a mile at the most and wearing nothing but the clothing on their backs. Then, she gave them packs which became heavier and heavier as the distance grew longer and longer. At noon, they would eat another meal. Until the night, they would train with Dulcea who continually wiped the floor with them. They spend another hour meditating before heading to bed exhausted.

Will winced as Ryan was sent to the floor once more. The Osprey Ninjetti rolled away before getting to his feet. He lashed out with a high roundhouse kick to Dulcea's head. She snapped her head back as Ryan's strike moved past her face. He regained his balance again before Dulcea could recover her ground.

She had also taught them poisons and antidotes, making sure they knew the symptoms and recipes by heart. It was in the first week of their training was when they learned she had been giving them small doses so their bodies could begin building immunities.

Dulcea sent a blast of Green Power at Ryan who attempted to erect a shield of Grey Power. It didn't help. Dulcea's blast went through the weak incomplete shield and sent him sprawling a good twenty feet away.

"A very good attempt in trying out your shield, Ryan." Dulcea said as she helped the boy to his feet.

"Thank the Spirits for the faster healing." Ryan said as he breathed a little too deeply. The blast had broken a couple of ribs but thankfully, none had punctured his lung.

Will gave a small smile. And there was that thing. Dulcea was also teaching them on how to heal themselves and others with the healing abilities they had gained from the Great Power. They had also started using Dulcea's exclamations. He himself was using sayings like 'Spirits' every day.

"William, it is your turn."

_Oh goody._ Will thought. Getting up, Will entered the training ground. As Commander of the Sentinels, he was pushed even harder than what Dulcea gave to the others; more weight in his pack, tougher moves, less mercy overall.

They fell in to a defensive stance. Dulcea struck out, her hands flying. Will retreated. She stepped with him. He crouched suddenly, swinging his leg around but she jumped and flipped over. As he got up to move, she struck out with a palm strike, catching him in the chest. He overbalanced and fell down. Dulcea went down on him, hand heading toward his throat. Her bladed hand stopped an inch above his skin.

"You are all getting better." Dulcea stated as she helped Will to his feet.

"It doesn't seem much." Mark groaned as he stretched, his sore muscles. "God, my legs are killing me."

Dulcea's eyes sparkled. "The day is not over. You still have the cross country run." The group groaned but got up and headed toward the cliff trail.

Will noticed that his pack was heavier. At the least, the pack weighed about 30 pounds. "Is everyone ready?" He asked as he slid the pack on, making sure it was comfortable against his shoulders.

"Yeah." Dayleen said, helping Jessie place hers on and securing the buckles.

"Let's go." Will took the lead as Dayleen brought up the rear.

The group ran down the cliff into the grassy plains and into the forest. They weaved in and out of the trees, watching their feet as they sped over the wet ground.

"What a lovely day to run." Joseph said as he slid in the mud, crashing to the ground. He wiped the mud off his face.

Kayla helped him up. "It's always a lovely day to run."

"For a soldier." Joseph replied, adjusting his pack.

The Sentinels moved off again.

They were passing through a steep ravine when the ground shifted suddenly. A large piece of the rock face collapsed, roaring to the river below where Rebekkah had been standing at the top. She gave a loud yell as she fell, fear contorting her face. She disappeared in a cloud of dust.

"Rebekkah!" Will scrambled to the edge, peering over. Her body was half in the water and still. Will made a decision. "Ryan, head back to Dulcea. Tell her to bring ropes!" The Osprey Ninjetti nodded once before flying off at a breakneck speed.

A hand grabbed Will's shoulder. "Hey! It's steep. You might break a bone." Gabriel said, moving as another part of the trail broke.

"I don't care." Will unclasped his pack. "Stay away from the edge. Dayleen, take over." Slowly, Will made his way down the steep slope, slipping and sliding in a slow controlled descent. He stayed still as the rock shifted sending more boulders and earth to the bottom. He slid to the tree near the river and jumped on the river bank.

"Rebekkah!" Will kneeled by her side. Panic rose up in him as he saw blood trickling down the side of her face. "Shit." Will checked her neck. He breathed a sigh of relief when he felt a slow but steady beat underneath his fingers. "Thank the Spirits."

As gently as he could he checked to see if there were any injuries that he couldn't see, using the healing technique Dulcea showed them. There wasn't any broken bone but something had penetrated her back, which meant he couldn't move her. He placed a hand gently on her chest.

Rebekkah gave a small whimper as she stirred at his touch.

Will placed his hands on her shoulder. "Don't move, Rebekkah."

"It hurts." She whispered, tears forming in her eyes. "I'm cold, Will." A crystal tear dropped, trailing down her paling cheek.

"Everything is going to be fine. Dulcea is on her way." Will tried to comfort her. He then noticed, the blood appearing on the rock beneath her, mixing with the cold water of the river.

"So cold." Rebekkah's body began shivering. That wasn't a good sign.

There was roar as another part of the trail broke free and fell down the ravine.

"Fuck!" Will heard another part of the trail above them began to shift. As the part started its descent, he covered Rebekkah with his body. He grunted in pain as the rocks and dirt fell down on his back and arms, using his Power to deflect the worst of the landslide away.

"Will, go. You'll get hurt because of me!" Rebekkah tried pushing him away but failing. She was too weak at the moment and he was adamant. She coughed.

""Will!" Shaking himself, Will looked up to see Mark and Dayleen looking down at him. "Are you guys okay?!"

"I'm fine! Rebekkah's hurt bad!" Another rumble. "Get back from the ledge! I don't need you guys to get hurt too!"

"Will!"

"GET BACK!" Will yelled. He glared at the small shadows until they disappeared. He turned to Rebekkah. Her body was rapidly cooling. He laid down next to her, wrapping his arms around her as best as he could, trying to share what little body heat he could give.

"Will, I need to tell you something."

He looked at her. "What?"

She coughed, a little blood appearing on her lips. "I-I" She gave a shudder as her body continued to cool down. Already, her face was losing any color she had. Before she could say anything she passed out.

Wondering what she was going to say, he gazed down at her pale face. He reverently brushed a loose bloody lock from her face. Three months into the training and he was already losing someone he loved. He froze.

No. It couldn't be.

He looked at her.

Was he really in love with her? The feelings he had tried to kill were rising again. They had blossomed despite the attempts to destroy them, growing in the darkest parts of his sub-consciousness.

Will replaced his hand on her chest, right above her heart, closing his eyes. It was beating, weak and sluggish now as her life's blood was pumping through her veins. A trickle at the back of his mind caught his attention. Not knowing what to do, Will let his mind open more and opened the door.

His body tensed, knowledge and Power flooding into him. Without thought, he turned them onto Rebekkah.

His hands began to glow, bright Blue and Black. In his mind's eyes, he felt or saw Rebekkah's own body structure, arteries, bones, muscle, ligaments, cartilage, veins, blood, everything including the massive damage done to her skull and back.

Something had been lodged into her back when she had fallen, slicing deep into her spine. The break in her skull was healing and the lacerations and swelling were being dealt with. Yet the improved healing ability was having a difficult time dissolving the foreign object, which wasn't allowing the wound to heal itself.

Will focused on the tissue surrounding the rock, releasing organisms to attack it. The sliver of stone began to dissolve, turning into a lumpy rock as the minerals dissolved, born away by the organisms. Finally, it was gone. Using the last of his waning strength, Will created a membrane the stopped the bleeding yet still allowed the wound to heal.

Exhausted, Will withdrew his hand, the tears in Rebekkah's back starting to heal. Giving a small smile, he let himself fall back. As he faded, he heard someone calling his name. . . .

(VvVvVvVvV)

Rebekkah watched as Dulcea healed the rest of her injuries, her head on a soft pillow. She had woken up about halfway through the healing session, not clearly remembering what had happened. Dulcea told her a brief summary and at the moment was finishing the healing session.

"I believe the others were worried about you. They did not sleep much last night after you were brought here." Dulcea said, removing her hands. the Master Warrior looked at her.

"I knew they were scared. I was too. Will kept me from panicking and injuring myself further." Rebekkah rubbed her wrist as was her habit. "How is he?"

"He is fine. He overextended himself when he healed the very worse of your injuries. At the moment, he is resting in his dormitory."

"Good, I don't want him to get hurt. I tried to push him away." Dulcea smiled at the young Tiger Ninjetti.

"Such is the power of Love. You do not wish to see any of your family hurt themselves for you. You would rather die than have them sustain injuries that could kill them."

"Family?"

"Yes, young one. They are your family now. Can't you feel it?"

"Somewhat, I guess." Rebekkah said truthfully. What she didn't say was that she felt something more for the Wolf Ninjetti.

"All great things have small beginnings. I believe we are done for tonight. Until tomorrow, you will rest to regain your strength." Dulcea left, closing the door behind her.

Rebekkah slid down deep into the covers. Thinking after a minute, she bent over the side of the bed and pulled out a silver journal from beneath the mattress. Lying on her stomach, she opened it.

As she began to write, the feelings she had hidden from everyone in her heart came up.

The first time she had seen him, she was captivated by his looks. Rebekkah wanted to know him a little better. Being a studious girl though taught her that athletic boys never liked average looking girls who studied a lot. The muscles and the strength in his body hinted that he was one of them.

When they started training, she kept to her herself. Of course, they talked now and then but never really connected. It even seemed he wanted to get away from her, like he knew the feelings she harvested. As a girl, she wandered what it would feel like to be held in his arms or kissed by him. Jessie had caught her several times daydreaming about him.

Rebekkah blushed at that point.

The feeling inside of her had only grown as the days passed. When, the landslide happened she wanted to tell him the truth. But she couldn't as the blood loss had caused her to faint.

She placed the pencil down.

At that moment, she decided she was going to tell him tomorrow, come hell or high water.

(VvVvVvVvV)

Will's hands trembled as he held them out before him. He closed his hands but they still shook.

Ever since Rebekkah was caught in the landslide, his emotions were in turmoil. His sleep was plagued by visions of Rebekkah's dead body, her blood mixing with the water of the river last night. He stood up, pacing.

Why was he so affected by Rebekkah?

He barely even knew her.

Will had to admit that she was beautiful, confidant, and intelligent. Not wanting to make a fool of himself, Will had made sure to keep a distance between him and her.

He wanted to be with her but he couldn't risk it. No matter what happens, he would lose her. Will almost lost her during the landslide. Sooner of later, he wouldn't have anybody with him. They never stayed long, always going their separate ways.

Will looked his right hand, seeing the Velociraptor scar. He had to save himself even if it would cut him inside and ruin any chance at a future or be torn apart emotionally.

(VvVvVvVvV)

_A week later_

"I'm sorry, Will. I thought Jessie needed help to cover her end." Rebekkah tried to explain.

They had just ended a simulation in the Neola Jungle. The mission was to defend an outpost of over 700 people who had no avenue to escape. When the simulation began, they were immediately attacked.

Will had given out orders, forming a line of resistance on the base of a hill before the outpost. Ryan, Toni, Kayla, and Mark had taken the left; Gabriel, Joseph, Scott, and Dayleen had taken the right; and Jessie, Rebekkah, and Will had taken the middle. The Wolf Sentinel had taken up the middle so when Rebekkah had seen Jessie being overwhelmed, she had left her post and went over to help her. The shadows had broken through the line between Will and Mark, heading straight for the outpost. The Sentinels tried to compensate but couldn't. The line broke and they fell apart, giving ground. Out of the 700, only 147 survived. And Will was pissed.

"You should have stayed in position Because of what you did over 500 people were killed!" He hissed, glaring at her.

"I told you I'm sorry."

"Sorry doesn't even cut it." He took a step forward, crowding into her personal space. "Either me or Dayleen could and would have helped her out. Because of you, we failed the mission."

"That was uncalled for, Will." Mark said, not liking how Will was beginning to rip into Rebekkah. "She only thought it was the best choice at the moment. The entire team failed, not only her. We should have been covering it better."

"No, he's right." Rebekkah looked up at him. "I should have stayed in my position like a good little soldier." With that said, she spun around on her heel and walked back up to the plateau.

The rest of the team gave him a look before following her. Only Scott stayed behind.

"What was that, Will?" The Serpent Ninjetti asked him. "Something's eating at you."

"Nothing's eating at me."

Scott raised his eyebrow. "Right. And yelling at Rebekkah was totally in character for you."

"She should have let me or Dayleen take care of it. Jessie was too far away for her."

"It was only a simulation, Will. This is where we learn and where we are expected to make mistakes."

"It's a war. The reality of it will be different from this."

"We know that, Will. That is why we are going through these exercises. They may not be the real thing but they are what we have. You need to go easy on her." Scott told him as they walked back to the plateau. "We are all new at this. You can't expect us to act like battle-hardened soldiers. Go talk to her."

"No."

"Why the hell not?"

"It's none of your damn business."

"When it affects the team like this, it is our damn business." Dayleen said as the two came to the top of the hill. "If I didn't know better, it looked like Dulcea died and made you king before passing away."

"I am the Sentinel Commander. It's my job to make sure none of you die." Will said, glaring at her for intruding.

"Yeah, right." Dayleen walked right to him. "What ever is eating you up inside, don't take it out on Rebekkah." She walked away.

Scott grabbed Will by the arm. "Seeing this, Will, I have to advise that you need to sort out what ever problem you have right now before it destroys the team." Giving a small squeeze, Scott started the climb to the plateau.

Will glared hard at the silver and orange figure that was walking up the stairs, flanked by Kayla and Jessie.

How hard it was to make sure no one entered his heart. Damn her.

(VvVvVvVvV)

Dulcea watched from her perch, seeing the disarray the team was in.

She decided not to interfere.

Years of experience had shown her how to look deep into another's heart and soul by watching their gaze, expression, body language, voice. And at this moment, it was telling her that the Wolf Ninjetti and Tiger Ninjetti were in love with each other. Yet, one was refusing to accept the feelings and the other was hurt by the one she loved.

She would watch how the two would progress.

(VvVvVvVvV)

Rebekkah sat back on her bed, wiping at the hot tears that were escaping from her eyes. Kayla and Jessie were with her, trying to comfort her.

"I can't believe he said that! I mean, why did he blame all of it on you! You were only trying to help me!" Jessie ranted as she went to the bathroom and got Rebekkah a glass of water.

"He's right. It was my fault." Rebekkah sniffled, trying to stop crying.

"He's wrong, Beck. Don't believe him." Kayla said, wiping at the Tiger Ninjetti's face. "I've seen this before." She stated firmly.

"What have you seen before? Someone getting yelled at for a stupid mistake or standing there and taking it?" Rebekkah said dejectedly.

Kayla gave a small smile. "What I meant was that the girl is in love with a boy who tries to push the girl away. He does whatever it takes to make her hate him. In the end, he succeeded but both suffered even though they love each other."

"I don't think that's the case here." Rebekkah accepted the glass Jessie gave her. "I mean no one can be that mean to the one they love."

"Love can be a remarkable thing. It can be highly unpredictable." Jessie said, sitting next to Beck. "What if Kayla is right and Will is in love with you?"

"I don't know. He seems pretty adamant in staying away from me."

"Don't all boys do that?"

"Why don't' you just tell him?" Kayla said. "I mean the worst thing that can happen is he continues with his bad boy attitude which in that case, we'll deal with him or he admits he loves you and we all live happily ever after."

"It seems too much of a risk. He already hates me."

"So, you are just going to give in and let him get away?" Jessie asked her. "Stand up to him."

Rebekkah shrugged. "I don't know. He's already pissed off as it is."

"You can put him in place." Kayla said playfully. "We are the ones who truly wear the pants in any relationship."

Jessie gave a laugh, her red hair falling from her shoulders. "Anyways, back to the topic. Will only yells at you. He corrects only you. He's the one saves you. He's the one that tears into you. Is it me or does he have an obsession with you?"

Rebekkah thought over what they said. What if it was true? That Will did love her? Was she willing to let him get away?

HELL NO!

Jessie and Kayla looked at each other, seeing the change in their friend.

"I believe the tigress is on the hunt."

"And this time, I'm catching my prey." Rebekkah said, thinking on how she was going to confront him.

(VvVvVvVvV)

Will stepped out of the shower, rubbing at his hair with the small towel. His mind was still going over the day's events. Scott's warning came back to him.

_You need to sort out what ever problem you have right now before it destroys the team. _

He padded to the dresser next to his bed, opening the drawers for a pair of pants. Was he really destroying the team? He slid on his pants, thinking. He turned around when he heard someone open the door. His eyes narrowed when he saw who it was.

"Rebekkah."

The Tiger Ninjetti stood before him in the open doorway, arms crossed. Her face held an expression of seriousness and determination. "We need to talk, Will."

"I don't want to talk. And you are not allowed in here." Will fell back behind his defenses, automatically trying to push her away. "Leave me alone."

"Not before we have a chance to talk." She wasn't budging.

"I only halfway dressed and you want to talk." Will motioned at his bare chest and feet. "It can wait until morning."

"No it can't."

Will gave a snort. "Women." He turned around, expecting her to leave. Will didn't see it coming.

He spun around when the door slammed shut with a loud crack. Rebekkah stomped up to him, fire burning in her eyes. The air temperature dropped noticeably. Will felt caught before her, not able to move. Every word she spoke, she poked him the chest to accent it further. "You are going to hear me, William. And you are NOT leaving here before you do."

**Spyridon- Here's the Chap Four of EV. Go ahead and drop a review. I have to got to feed the plot bunnies, you know. **


	5. The Levees Are Breaking

**REVEIWS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED!**

Ethereal Vision Chapter Five- The Levees Are Breaking 

// (Wake me up) Wake me up inside

(I can't wake up) Wake me up inside

(Save me) Call my name and save me from the dark

(Wake me up) Bid my blood to run

(I can't wake up) Before I come undone

(Save me) Save me from the nothing I've become //

"I don't know what got into you, Will, but ever since the landslide incident, you've been blowing me off. And I want to know why." Rebekkah demanded.

"I'm not going to tell you." Will opened another drawer and pulled out a clean shirt, making sure she didn't see his back; he didn't want anyone to know. He pulled it over his head as he looked up at her. "And I don't need to hear this."

"Yes, you do. What ever problem you have, you have with me." Her eyes were defiant but underneath, her heart was thumping a mile per second, afraid of what could be revealed, especially if he rejected her.

Will rolled his eyes. "Think what ever the hell you want. You obviously think you are the center of attention around here."

"Excuse me? What the hell did you just say?" Rebekkah's anger was climbing. _How thick could Will's skull be?_

"I said that you believe you are the center of attention. Crying to get the sympathy of the others after I yelled at you; 'Oh poor, Rebekkah', 'are you okay?', 'I can't believe he yelled at me'." He mocked at her, unconsciously pushing her away, turning his back to her.

"Well at least I'm not a bad ass attitude little boy wanna-be! Just because you were a slave doesn't make you a hard ass teen or give you the right to be a bully to others." Rebekkah huffed, arms crossed over her chest.

He spun around at her, fury blazing in his eyes. "You don't know what its like to be a slave! And I'm trying to protect you and this team so you won't have to go through what I went through during the eight months in fucking hell!" He hissed through bared teeth like an angry Wolf.

"And being a bastard is going to accomplish that. I fail to see the logic in that."

"You wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

Will didn't answer. He threw his used towel toward the hamper. "I want you to leave." He said after a while.

"No."

Will growled, turning at her. "Will you just leave me the fuck alone?! I don't fucking need you, bitch-"

SMACK!

Will's head snapped back as Rebekkah's hand came into sharp contact with his skin. Slowly, he looked at her as his hand lifted to his reddening cheek, eyes wide with shock.

Tears stood out in Rebekkah's eye. With gentleness, he did not expect or deserved, she took his face into her hands, cradling it. "I don't now how, Will but when I first laid eyes on you, I felt something I've never had before." Looking into his eyes, she kissed him. Underneath her hands, she felt him stiffen. She pulled back. "I'm in love with you, Will."

Suddenly fear gripped his heart, wrapping it in a blanket of cold panic. Within that single moment the walls he had tried to make fell in shambles around him, leaving him open to whatever was going to happen next. "I-I- you can't be in love with me. I'm a monster." He whispered in a broken voice. Will wanted to move, oh god, how he wanted to move away but her eyes captivated him, riveting him to that spot before her.

"Why can't I be in love with you? Why wouldn't I be in love with you?" She looked at him straight in the eye. "You might deny it Will, but you have this defense of distance, of wanting to hide your feelings from everyone so they won't hurt you. But I can see through it. You're intelligent, caring, understanding. I love you and no matter how much you try to hurt me, you won't be able to. You have to do is believe in yourself." Rebekkah said, placing her head on his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist.

Will looked down at her, emotion warring against each other inside of him.

Belief.

Something he no longer had within himself.

He had once believed in his friends would save him from Rita's grip but they never did. He had believed their friendship would last through anything, last through difficult, and grow in the best of times.

Obviously he had been wrong.

And it had cost both sides almost everything, including their lives.

Could he open himself up to her and ultimately to the rest of the team? Could he take that risk?

Love can do must anything but what he needed was the belief he could be actually worth something in these chaotic times. It can take him to the highest high and sacrifice it all; it could change his life forever but what would happen if he didn't answer it, letting it pass by at this point?

Ever so slowly, his arms wrapped around Rebekkah's waist, tightening around her body. Will was surprised when she snuggled even more against him and even more surprised when a feeling of content and happiness grew within him.

After a while, her head turned up to him. "Let's lay on the bed. My feet are killing me."

Numbly, Will nodded, still in shock of what happened.

He laid down on the bed, Rebekkah settled herself, half on him, head on his chest.

"Will, I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Came the automatic response.

"No, it wasn't." Rebekkah propped her head on his chest, hand under her chin. She reached out stroking his red cheek lightly. Moving up, she gave it a kiss. "There wasn't any other way I could make you talk to me."

Will looked at her. "I may not show it right now, Beck but I do appreciate it. I was beginning to pull myself away from all of you after the landslide." His hand raked through his hair, spiking it a little.

"It's highly understandable, Will. You believed you were going to lose me. You thought that if I almost died in the incident, you could lost anybody else at anytime, anywhere, even the places where you deemed were safe. But you need to believe in all of us, Will, especially me."

Unconsciously, Will reached out, twirling her light brown hair around his finger. "I'm trying. You're right. I am afraid to let you guys in. I'm afraid that I'll lose one of you guys when I'm beginning to let you in. I thought it was the best way if I stopped you and pushed you away." He sighed. "But everything changes now, Beck. I'm giving you everything in me, Beck, my heart, my soul, my trust, and especially my love." Moving slowly, Will kissed her, the hand in her hair tightening.

Rebekkah's eyes closed, reveling in his kiss, not quite actually believing it was real. They broke apart. Will gave her a small smile. She laid her head down; thinking life couldn't get any better than this.

Half an hour later, they fell asleep.

(VvVvVvVvV)

"I'm telling you, Scott. Rebekkah didn't come back to her room last night. I've been there since she left." A voice outside whispered.

"Are you sure?" The second once sounded tired like as if he had been awakened too early.

"Come on." It was Kayla's voice and it sounded angry.

Sighing, Rebekkah opened her eyes. The room was dark, the candle being burnt out a long time ago. Shifting her head slightly, Beck glanced up at Will.

He was still sleeping, chest falling and rising almost imperceptibly. His dark blonde hair fell into his eyes, his right arm wrapped around her waist. She shifted a little bit more. His arm tightened.

"Don't leave just yet." Will opened his eyes and looked at her.

She gave a grin. "I thought you were asleep."

"I was. I still can't believe you love me."

"You better believe it, Will." Rebekkah whispered giving him a small kiss. She smiled when he licked his lips. "I guess you liked that." Will gave a grin of his own, eyes sparkling with mirth.

Someone knocked on the door. "Will!" The Wolf Ninjetti gave a groan as he flopped back on the bed.

"Who is it?!" He sounded annoyed, getting up to sit next to Beck. He rolled his eyes. Beck stifled a laugh.

"It's me Scott. Kayla here is wondering about Rebekkah. Can we come in?" They heard a smack.

"Yeah." The second the word finished leaving his mouth, Rebekkah tackled him, capturing him on the mouth. They tumbled back onto the bed as the door opened. "Have you se- oh. I guess we didn't have to look for her, Kayla." Scott's amused voice wafted over to Will who was still being kissed by Beck.

"Why do you say that?" Kayla's voice came from the hall.

"Because Rebekkah at the moment is kissing him into oblivion." Scott laughed.

Beck finally released him. "Well, it's not my fault if Will is a damn good kisser." She huffed.

Kayla entered the room. Rebekkah was straddling Will on the bed, hands on his chest and his hands on her hips. She raised her eyebrow. "I guess a lot happened in one night."

Will blushed. "It wasn't like that."

"Right." Kayla drawled. "I guess you guys talked about what's been happening?"

"We started it but it kind of went out the window." Rebekkah said, sliding off Will. She was surprised when Will stood up with her and draped an arm around her shoulders.

"Does this mean you two are a couple now?" Scott said, leaning against the door.

"Yes." Will shrugged his shoulders. "But I have a couple of emotional issues to sort out. I think we should tell the rest of the team first."

"Good. Breakfast is about to be served in a few minutes." Scott stood up as Kayla and Rebekkah left the room. He waited for them to get a couple of yards in front of them before moving next to Will. "Are you okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you okay with having a relationship with Beck?" Scott clarified, hoping Will didn't take it the wrong way.

The Wolf Ninjetti gave a sigh. "When I first laid eyes on her, I fell for her. She caught my heart at the very moment. I just never acted on it because of the fear I still hold to this very moment." He looked at the scar on his hand. "My belief in others was shattered when I became the Grey Ranger. I guess you can say I lost faith and hope."

"And you tried to push her away." Scott now got why his friend was pushing the Tiger Sentinel away. "You didn't want you heart broken again."

Will nodded. "Last night, she confronted me. Beck wanted to know why I was being a jerk to her. I kept telling her to leave. She wouldn't and I lost it. I called her a bitch."

"Oy!"

Will smiled. "It didn't go over well and she slapped me."

"She slapped you?" Scott looked at Beck who was chatting with Kayla, no doubt about what happened last night.

"Yup, gave me a good one. I froze because no one ever slapped me before and I didn't know how to handle it." Will shrugged his shoulders. "She told then that she loved me and kissed me."

"What happened then?"

"I started to deny it. She gave me reasons why she loved me and told me that she would never let me go."

"Sounds mushy."

"I know."

"And?"

"She gave me the decision whether or not I would accept it."

"And obviously you did." Will nodded. "Do you regret it?"

"No." Will looked at the floor, thinking.

"What's up?"

"I don't know if I should tell you this." Will looked at Scott.

The Serpent Ninjetti gave a sigh. He stopped and placed a hand on the Wolf Ninjetti's shoulder, stopping him. "Will, I agree with Beck. You have to believe in us. You can trust us. I trust you." He said firmly, making sure Will saw it in his eyes.

Will shifted uncomfortably. "I've been having feelings ever since then. I can't really explain it."

Scott gave a short laugh. "I think you can call that happiness, content, or love. You can chose. Deal with it. As long you have Beck, I think you'll be feeling it for the rest of your natural life." Scott threw an arm around Will's shoulder. "Come on, I'm starving."

(VvVvVvVvV)

The dining room, as the Sentinels called it, was full with the rest of the team. A great bowl of porridge sat in the middle of the table, plates of loaves of bread, butter, and jam next to it. Will was unsure of how to tell the group. But that was taken out of his hands the moment the four of them walked into the room. Kayla gave a loud whistle causing everyone to stop talking and look at them.

"Will and Beck have something to tell you guys!" She yelled before taking her seat.

Will glared at her. "Thanks." The Fox Ninjetti gave him a smile. He coughed. "I'm sure all of you know that I've been acting like a jerk since the landslide incident."

"I can agree with that." Ryan said. The others quieted him.

"Uh, okay. Well, Rebekkah wanted to clear up some things with me so last night she came to me and began to put me into place." He stopped. Scott and Kayla were trying to stifle their grins on their faces.

"That's it?' Dayleen asked.

"There's this." Will grabbed Rebekkah and gave her a kiss. It quickly turned passionate. Catcalls and whistles sounded through the room.

"Now that was totally unexpected!" Joseph called as the two broke apart. "When will we be expecting babies?"

"Hopefully, not until five years thanks you very much." Rebekkah said as Will blushed and gave an uncomfortable cough.

"My, I don't think I have seen Will blush so much in a day." Scott said as he spread butter over his piece of bread. "I think that's a new record."

"I'm happy for you two." Jessie said, grinning at Rebekkah. "Though I didn't know you were going to move so fast!"

Will and Rebekkah took their seats next to each other, her chair right next to his so she could lean against him. They were just beginning to eat when Dulcea walked into the room. The Master Warrior gave a soft smile when she saw the two.

"Hi, Dulcea." Will greeted.

"Good morning, William. I believe your relationship with Rebekkah has changed?"

"Yes."

Dulcea nodded once. "Ninjor and I have decided that you will rest today. Tomorrow, regular activities will presume."

"So no training today?" Gabriel asked.

"No training." The Sentinels breathed a sigh of relief. "Good day Sentinels." Dulcea left as the chatter between the Sentinels started.

"No training." Joseph said high-fiving Gabriel.

"Anybody want to come with me to the beach?" Ryan asked, going over what he was going to do that day.

"I'll go." Jessie said.

"Count me in." Toni said.

"I wonder if there are any shells worth collecting." Mark thought to himself.

"Probably. I mean, it is a beach." Dayleen looked at Will and Rebekkah. "What are you guys going to do?"

"Whatever Beck wants." Will took a bite out of his toast.

"How about a walk in the forest?" Rebekkah asked him. "I used to like taking a walk in the woods."

"Okay."

"So I guess everybody's going to the beach except for the two of you." Dayleen counted off.

"That's fine with us." Scott said, scooping more jam onto his toast.

Underneath the table, Will wrapped his fingers around Beck's.

Within his soul, the icy walls that encased his beating heart began to slowly melt, giving away as the warmth of this new found love ignited the spark of life within his sleeping spirit. The levees of his hidden emotions were breaking.

**Spyridon- Here's the fifth chapter of EV. Sorry, for the slight delay, I'm having a tiny (cough) problem with chapter six as it is rewriting itself at the very moment for the tenth time. If it will actually stay that way is still being decided upon by the hateful bunnies. Look to my updates section on my profile page for new updates on stories. I will probably be adding challanges there soon. AND DON'T FORGET TO DROP A REVIEW!**

**Catch ya laterz!**


	6. Hold Me In Her Arms

**REVIEWS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED!**

Ethereal Vision Chapter- Hold Me In Her Arms

// Now that I know what I'm without

You can't just leave me

Breathe into me and make me real

Bring me to life //

Will sat on the bed, elbows on his knees and hands clasped under his chin. From one night to the next morning, he had gone from single to being a boyfriend. And not with just anybody, but his girlfriend had to be the Sentinel of Love. Did it mean something, that possibly Rita and Goldar supposedly foretold him were wrong? Could he actually love someone and be loved in return? Rebekkah seemed sincere in her claims of her love for him, especially since she was the one who made the first move when she confronted him about his attitude toward her after the landslide incident.

"Hey, Will, what's wrong?" The spot next to him dipped, Rebekkah taking a seat next to him. "Will, you're crying."

So, he was. Tears had been trailing down his face in silent rivers and he hadn't even noticed. Will drew in a deep breath, his nose clogged with mucus. Sitting straighter, he wiped at his face, embarrassed at being caught.

"Don't be ashamed, Will." Rebekkah laid a hand on his shoulder. "Why were you crying?"

"I thought that I would never have a girlfriend." He told her. "I'm a geek." He admitted.

"Right, you're a geek." Beck leaned back, running her gaze over him, across the broad chest and shoulders, down the long 'V' of his sides, the ripped abdomen hidden under the shirt, strong legs clothed in pants. Her hand was clasped in his firm grip that ran up to defined forearms, strong biceps to his handsome face in her eyes. "I guess I love geeks." She whistled appreciatively, giving a cocky grin.

Will blushed, something so unfamiliar to him now, tears forgotten. "I wasn't always like this. I was a small teen with a very slim build. Nothing like this." He waved at himself. "I was fed these weird positions and concoctions by Rita and Finster. They made me a little taller, a little stronger, and a little faster." Will unconsciously tightened his scarred fist. "They also told me that I was destined never to love, that no one would want me because I am- was hers. After my first escape, I believed it. I believed that I would never find happiness, much less love." Will shook his head. "Now that you told me that you love me, I'm starting to believe that she's wrong. You are making me a believer, Beck." Will laid a hand on hers. "And I'm making myself look like an emotional wreck." He gave a slight laugh.

"What ever Rita told you is a lie. Everyone deserves to love and be loved. It's one of the greatest gifts anyone can have. And everyone deserves the right to be an emotional wreck, especially after what you went through."

"What are the other gifts?"

"I'll tell you when I find out." She replied.

Will smiled. "You don't have to worry about it, Beck. I'm slowly getting to the point where I no longer believe her, that I CAN find happiness. I'm getting there slowly, but I'm getting there." **And for sure, it's going to be a rough ride.** He thought to himself.

"Good." Seeing Will wanted to change the subject, Beck turned the conversation back to the past, before they were Sentinels and he was a Ranger. "So, how were you like when you were smaller?"

"That's an easy question. I was a science nerd, loved doing experiments in the garage lab I had. Never really focused on anything else. The only physical exertion I ever did was when I rarely played with my ex-friends and the gymnastics I took for my hand-eye coordination."

"Coordination? You?" Beck couldn't really see Will as a clumsy person after the training exercises they had gone through the last few months. He was graceful and in the recent ones, sure of himself. But then again, she didn't know him then.

"Klutz, add that with the appearance of a nerd and you got a ripe target for bullies. I almost always got picked on by them every day. My ex-best friends tried to help tone it down. They were always there."

"You know, they kind of sound like my siblings." Rebekkah said getting up from the bed helping Will pack his sack. "I have two older siblings, a brother and sister. They're twins. Because I'm the little one, they think that it's their responsibility to take care of me, that nothing bad happens to me. When I was in middle school, there was this jerk that thought I was his girlfriend. I tried to tell him otherwise but he wouldn't drop it. Finally my brother Daniel had enough and after the high school let out, he went straight to my school and cornered the guy. Told him in certain terms that he was going to leave me alone or else. Needless to say, the jerk never talked to me again."

"I don't have siblings so I don't know how that feels." They walked to the door and began to head to the forest near the beach.

"Sometimes I would like to wring their necks." Beck shrugged. "But I wouldn't have it any other way."

"It seems I'm going to have to worry about how your parents are going to react to me along with your siblings." Will said as they started down the stone steps of the hidden stairwell. Unlike the others, this one was carved into the cliff side, the stone arcing over them and coming down to the meet the floor. Windows were carved into the wall every four feet, allowing the sun to shine into the stairwell. Torch brackets were set between the windows for light at night when the moon wasn't shining.

"Why do you say that? I think they are going to like you." Beck squinted an eye at him. "Are you planning to tell them about your imprisonment?"

"Yeah. They should know after all. They are your parents."

"Not if you are condemning yourself." Beck stated.

"I'm not." Will shifted slightly.

Beck snorted. "Right. They will like you; I'm sure of it. My dad will understand. As I told you before, he was in the military where some of his friends were captured and tortured. Out of everyone, he'll understand."

Will looked out the windows. "Maybe. Maybe he won't. People can be unpredictable even if you knew them all your life. I learned that the hard way."

"But not everyone's like that, Will." The stairwell opened out into where the forest met the beaches of Phaedos, the cliff towering over them. "Wow, it's beautiful."

Will agreed. The forest was made up of what looked like giant redwoods but instead of red, they were brownish gold or dark silver. "I've never seen trees like that."

"No one has." The pair followed a small brook that flowed from the forest into the ocean, no doubt fresh as Will could see where the two waters met. "Too bad I don't have a camera. But luckily I brought some paint."

"Paint?"

"Yeah, I love to pain and draw. Something that Jessie and I have in common. I know how to make my own paint so I started to make my own when we got here. The brushes took me a little longer to make."

"Let's find a spot and set camp so you can have time to draw." Will said. Suddenly he stopped, placing a hand over Rebekkah's mouth. She turned toward him, her question reflected in her eyes.

Will raised a finger to his lips and pointed at the animal that had caught his attention.

Standing no more than a hundred yards away was what resembled a deer but you definitely tell it was native only to this planet. The antlers were curved up and back, kind of like what you would see on Chinese dragons. The deer had a coat of black and dark brown, a little dark grey mixed in here and there. Around its neck was a lion's mane of lighter grey. Will presume it was male as the one next to it was smaller and the horns less ornate. The one next to the female had to be a baby, the horns barely budding and a pale grey with flecks of brown and black barely peeking in. They were feasting on the weeds that grew along the river banks.

Will crouched, Beck following suit. The male deer was looking at them, large black eyes wary. Beck slid her sack around quietly, removing her drawing pad he guessed and what looked like charcoal. He caught her eye and smiled. Sitting back, he watched the family of deer eat. The male deer gave them one last look before beginning to eat again.

As Beck drew, Will watched the family, especially the little one. Every now and then, it would jump from where it was eating to the river, splashing his mother. Sometimes, it would come up behind its sire and give a little bite before bounding off before the elder buck could do anything.

After what seemed like hours, the deer finally finished eating, taking one last drink at the river before trotting away back into the forest.

Will took a peek over Beck's shoulder. "That's a really good drawing, Beck."

"I still need to finish it but it's almost done." Beck said as she closed the pad. "Those were really beautiful. The little one seemed very mischievous. Kind of reminds me of Joseph and Scott."

"They'd be very flattered." They started moving again. They continued to walk in companionable silence. They stopped again further down the river to eat. "Beck, can I ask you a question?"

"Yup."

"What made you come after me? Especially since I was treating you the way I did."

"You mean like confronting you and all that?" Will nodded. Beck swallowed her bite. "At first, after you kind of screamed at me at the simulation, I was trying to hard to figure out what I had done wrong to make you so made at me. I was kind of making myself believe that you hate me. Jessie and Kayla were helping me to calm down. Kayla told me that she knew where the same thing had happened but ended differently, where they both had suffered. I didn't want to lose the chance that you actually did love me, so I gathered up the courage that I had and marched down to your room."

Will licked his lips. "Did I hurt your feelings when I said those things?"

Truth or lie? "Yes you did, Will. It still hurts. I won't lie to you."

"I'm sorry." Will looked at his hands. Beck could see something was troubling so she waited patiently. "What I said to you bothers me." He looked up at her, a haunted expression in his eyes. "I purposely picked those words with a single objective, to try to hurt you so you could leave. And now, I afraid that maybe I go that little extra distance to push you away even more. I'm afraid that I might actually turn against you."

Beck quickly got and moved to him, wrapping her arms around him. Will immediately wrapped his arms around her body, holding on like she was his lifeline. And maybe she was. "That's not true, Will. You'll never hurt us. I know that you would rather kill yourself then hurt me or the others."

"Are you sure about that, Beck? What if you're wrong?"

"The only way I'll be wrong if you GIVE UP being good. I'll be wrong if you LET yourself turn. But I KNOW that you are the type of person that will continue on fighting even as the shit hits the fan. Sorry for the curse words but that's the truth." Beck stated firmly.

Will nodded, not saying anything more. It was going to take him a long time to find himself again. But for now, he let her hold him in her arms, sitting underneath the blue sky and dark canopy.

(VvVvVvVvV)

"Where have you guys been?" Ryan asked as Will and Rebekkah appeared at the top of the stairwell, the sun beginning to dip beneath the waters.

"Nothing where we won't blush." Will replied. "How was the beach?"

"The crabs here are monsters! Forget the ones in the jungle. These little buggers have bad-ass attitudes!" Gabe announced.

Jessie rolled her eyes. "He's only saying that because he fell asleep and one of them walked up his shorts. Let's leave at that that they hit the family jewels." The others started laughing, Gabe giving Jessie a glare that would have leveled a small city.

"You should have seen it when he was jumping around, trying to get it off!" Kayla announced. "I've seen someone jump so high!"

"If they had went up your pants, you'd wouldn't like someone else laughing at your expense." Gabe sniffed.

"Well, as they say, it's not funny when someone gets hurt, it's hilarious." Joseph said. He ducked as Gabe sent an object at him. "Ow!"

"It was fun at the beach." Toni said as the Wolf and Tiger Ninjetti took the remaining seats. "What did you guys do?"

"Talked about a lot of things. According to Will, he was a geek when he was small." Beck said as she served Will and herself. Seeing the looks on the others, she added. "I know."

"You, a geek? I can't see it." Ryan announced as he took a bite from the plate. "You look like one of those athletic guys who play sports when they can."

"Better believe it."

Everyone started when suddenly Mark shouted out. "Now I know why you look so damn familiar. You're the boy that vanished from school; William James Cranston, the science genius of Angel Grove."

"The science genius?"

"Yeah, everyone believed he was going to graduate real early was destined for those high ranked universities, you know, like Oxford or MIT? Then he suddenly disappeared right about the time the Grey Ranger kicked up its attacks." Mark stopped when he saw the look on Will's face. "Uh, sorry man. I didn't mean to rant."

"It's okay. After all, it's the truth."

"Doesn't mean that I should ranting like that." Mark told him.

"It's okay."

Gabe looked up at him. "That means the Rangers are Trini Kwan, Jason Lee Scott, Tommy Oliver, Zackary Taylor, Rocky De Santos, and Kimberly Hart."

"How'd did you know that?" Will was startled at how fast Gabe had put the pieces together.

"Now that Mark mentioned out your full name, I remembered who you are or were. You used to hang out with them. I remember that after the Rangers showed up, they kept wearing the basic colors. Red, yellow, Green, Blue, Black, Pink but not in that order." Gabe said.

"You're right. We all go to Angel Grove High and we didn't even see it." Scott said.

"Hiding in plain sight." Gabe said.

"I know where Jason lives." Kayla said.

Will cut her off. "Don't even think about it. I don't want you guys fighting them because of me."

"But come on, Will. They abandon you to Rita." Kayla argued. "They need to know their mistake."

"And for what? So they can feel guilty. I don't want to throw it in their faces. We would be no better than Rita. Just leave it alone. It's between me and them, Kayla. Please, just leave it alone." He begged.

"Fine." Kayla turned back to her meal.

"Soooooo, now we were talking about the Rangers, it reminded that we don't have those giant-moving robots." Mark turned the conversation to something new, trying to lessen the stress in the air. "I want me one of those giant robots."

"And so you shall get one." Dulcea said as she appeared right at Mark's elbow.

"Ack! Don't do that!" The Panther Ninjetti said as he got back in his seat after sliding off.

"What do you mean, Dulcea? Do the Sentinels get their own robots?" Will asked as Dulcea leaned on her Singing Staff

"No, the Sentinels do not come with the Zords you have seen the Rangers use. You will have to build your own." Dulcea looked pointedly at Will. "You have the knowledge to build them, Will. You have seen how one works."

That's true." Under Rita's control, he had seen the inner working of the Velociraptor Zord along with the Dragon Zord and the rest of the Rangers' Zords when he had stolen them that one time. Plus he should know how one should work considering he had updated the Velociraptor Zord so it was more powerful than both the MegaZord and Dragon Zord combined. A fact that still bothered him to this day.

"We also have the Ninjetti Zords that you can study along with the old Aquitarian Borgs that used to protect the planet of Aquitar before they built new ones. They are different as they also work on telepathic communication between the pilot and the Borg itself." Dulcea said.

"Telepathic communication? We can't do that." Ryan frowned.

"Ah, but you can. Your training will start soon." Dulcea said with a twinkle in her eye. "With the training, you will be able to communicate to each other and to your vehicles when they are built. A Ninjetti Sentinel who is properly trained can send information and send it to another Sentinel during battle within a blink of an eye. They can also ward off telepathic attacks and able to communicate with those who do not have telepathic abilities."

"So you want me to begin building the vehicles for the Sentinels?" Will asked the Master Warrior.

"Yes, along with a battle cruiser for travel between planets."

"You're asking the impossible." A battle cruiser? Did she really believe that he could actually build one capable of interstellar travel?

Dulcea only smiled. "With the Ninjetti, anything's possible."

That answered his bloody question.

"Let's call them Ryders." Everyone turned to Dayleen. "Let's call them Ryders. It means 'mounted warriors'."

"Mounted warriors. Sounds good." Toni said.

"We can give them codenames so in case the enemy hacks into our communications, they won't understand who's who."

"What about the ship?" Jessie asked.

"How about Dead Reckoning?"

"I like the sound of that." Ryan agreed.

"What does it mean?" Kayla asked.

"Dead reckoning is a method used by pilots to estimate the position of a vessel using the previous determined position, course, and distance traveled since when they couldn't determine their position by the stars in the night sky." Will shot off.

"Okay, I guess he is still a geek." Scott said after everyone was quiet.

"Can you say that again?"

"Basically, they guess where they were by using the last time they recorded their position and used the distance they traveled since then along with the course they took to find out their new position." Will said simply.

"Oh!" Everyone looked at each other.

"All for Dead Reckoning, say aye." Dayleen called out.

"AYE!" Everyone called out."

"That solves that problem." Joseph said.

"Well, it's going to be a pain in the ass to build it." Will muttered, running a hand through his hair.

"How hard can it be to build a intergalactic ship and eleven Ryders?" Mark asked.

"Ask me that when I finish."

**Spyridon- Here's the next chapter for Ethereal Vision. Just those who follow this story, the prequel for this AU called 'What I've Done' while be taken back to the writing board and rewritten to actually turn into a story in itself. 'My Heart's a Battleground' will also be taken down and rewritten to follow the first two. The samething will for 'The Valley of the Shadow of Death' which will be tweaked here and ther and probably new chapters added. So keep on the lookout for updates regarding this AU line. AND DON'T FORGET TO DROP A REVIEW!**


	7. Forging of the Blades, Ryders, Pendants

**Spyridon- This is the next chapter of Ethereal Vision. I have just updated the first chapter of 'What I've Done', which will be written into a story of its own. All updates are posted on my profile. Next chapter will be updated as soon as possible. **

**REVIEWS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED!**

Chapter Seven- Forging of the Blades, Ryders, and Pendants

Slowly, Will banged his head against the desk. He had been working on the Ryder project for almost three weeks now, drawing up the plans for each individual Ryder. Before he had even begun drawing up the blue-prints, they had all decided as one that they were going to be different from the Zords and Borgs that already existed. On paper, they looked cool but in reality, he hoped, they were going to be stunning.

All of them were going to stand over 20 meters tall and weigh in at about eight tons. Overall, they would be a little shorter than the MegaZord but a single unit would be more powerful then the MegaZord itself, even with the Dragon MegaZord. All were going to be shaped in humanoid form with characteristics of their specific animals with armor plating on. Each Ryder would have what looked like insect wings which were really stabilizers that would help the Ryder in space-flight mode, the main thruster set between the 'wings'. Of course, for the Sentinels who were already avian fliers, it was pointless to have the stabilizers as the wings of the bird would suffice. The beam sabers were also set in the thruster pack, stored in their respective charging cases, in the same position where they were in relation to the actual Sentinel. The beam daggers were set in the waist of the Ryder, also stored in their charging cases.

He had also designed the head of the Ryders to carry two twin-Vulcan cannons which he had designed himself along with the Triple-Machine Guns that were going to be placed on the shoulders of all Ryders as well. And also, each Ryder would have its own specialty attacks that he was going to have to talk to Dulcea about.

The only thing that was bugging him was on how each Ryder would be piloted by the Sentinel.

He let his head fall against the desk one more time with a loud thump.

The traditional way was with the cockpit of the Zords where the pilot was sitting on what resembled a game player's chair, with a joystick and an assortment of buttons. But the Sentinels needed the quick reflexes of one that fought on the ground, with the ability to move without having to waste precious time to press a button or many for that matter. Also, they couldn't entirely use the cockpit system of Aquitarian Borgs. What would happen if the Sentinels were knocked out? The Ryder would just go dead for all it's worth; too risky to happen in the middle of a battlefield.

"I'm never to get through this." Will mumbled against the wood.

"Never gonna get through what?" Gabriel's voice sounded behind him.

Will sat up, blurrily looking at the Owl Ninjetti. "I'm never going to solve the problem on how we are going to control our Ryders. None of the current systems would be able to handle the stress of piloting one. Each has its own set of problems that cause the life of the Sentinels." Will rubbed at his face.

Gabriel sat down in one of the chairs in the room, hands folded on the top of the back of the chair. "What are the problems that are causing you grief?"

Will swirled around to look at him, sighing. "You know how Dulcea tells us that we have to be fluid in our movements, like a continuous flow of attacks, counterstrikes, and defense?" Gabe nodded. "We'll waste time in pressing buttons to initiate moves. We can call them out but the enemy might be able to hear what strike is coming next. Plus, I did always think that calling out attacks looked kind of dumb."

Gabe laughed. "You're right. I always did too. To me, it looked gaudy, you know. I hope that when we go into battle, we don't do those stupid poses the Rangers did."

Will's eyebrow rose. "Poses?"

"Yeah, you know how they would jump over a particular spot and form a line using their respective stances?" Gabe clarified. "It wasted time; they could have been fighting the monster and destroying it but instead they wanted to show off."

"Never really looked at it like that." Will thought.

"Well, you were the evil Grey Ranger then. I don't think Rita would have let you form a thought."

"True but it still doesn't solve our problem."

"So the problem is keeping the mobility and agility of the pilot which are us during the fight?" Will nodded. "Why don't you use that suit with all those wires they use to map out movements for CG animation?" At Will's blank look, Gabe continued. "You know, it looks like a wetsuit with all those wires around the limb and the computer would record that precise movement so the gamers could build their characters around the wire frame for like video games and stuff."

"Oh, now I get what you're talking about. But the problem is going to be with the wires that connect the sensors unless we make them motion-sensors instead."

"Do you think we should place them in the head, the chest, down the spine, the waist, the wrists, and the ankles?"

"That could work and we can have the weapons and attacks initiated with the telepathic communication." Will thought. "Also, we can use the military systems where the information can be shared between Ryders."

"What if we stored a medical- observation thingy?" Gabe shrugged at Will's glance. "You know, where the systems onboard the Ryder can monitor what's happening to the pilot and send it to _Dead Reckoning._ That way, in case anything happens, the people on board the ship or the Ryders can know that another is in trouble."

"That could work." A thought came to Will. "What if we can tune the sensors on the Sentinels to know what's going on with the Ryders as well?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Say the opponent tears a rip along the Ryder's arm. I think I can tune the sensors to send signals to the pilot's body, showing there's something going on there."

"But wouldn't that immobilize the Sentinel?" Gabe asked. "What if the Ryder has its arm ripped off?" Gabe stopped suddenly. "Or you can use it as an incentive? You can have the sensors send pain through the pilot's body so the pilots can have an incentive not to get the Ryders damaged."

"That sounds kind of evil." Will frowned.

"I wish for the systems to have this idea." Dulcea said, appearing out of no where, causing the two to jump. "The Sentinels were need training in repressing the feelings of pain in battle."

"I don't know, Dulcea. I just don't like the idea."

"All the Sentinels will be going through this training. And the Ryders are extensions of the Sentinels bodies. They are not mere machines." Dulcea said.

Will thought about it. The Sentinels would need to know what limits their Ryders can go through. Gabriel's plans made sense. Connect the senses of the Ryders to the pilot, making it seems like they were one. It would help the pilots know what damage was being done to the Ryder in battle. "Okay, I'll set up the sensors to do that."

"How far along are you in designing the Sentinels, William?"

"I just need the piloting system. Gabe helped me out on that." Will clarified, turning back to the blue prints. Already his mind was setting to work in coming up with the systems, thoughts turning to full speed. "I think we can start building them tomorrow. We can install the ZERO system later on."

"ZERO system?"

Will looked at Gabe. "The Zip Empathetic Range System; ZERO for short." Will clarified.

"I like that. The ZERO system."

"Dulcea, what about the specialty attacks the Sentinels will use?"

"The ports you have designed are enough for the attacks the Sentinel will use. Just like the body of the Sentinel, the Ryders must be efficient in channeling the Great Power. What you have now will accomplish that end." Dulcea said, heading back out into the hall.

Will and Gabe turned back into fine-tuning the blueprints for the ZERO systems.

(VvVvVvVvV)

On the opposite of the plateau, set facing the east sat Ninjor's great forge. Since Will's appearance, he had set into creating new Power Coins; the Purple Ankylosaur, the Tan Apatosaur, and the Orange Stegosaur Coins. In his spirit, he knew the Grey Coin still lived but just, broken into small pieces. The flames turned blue as more air caused the fire to grow even hotter. At the moment, the molten gold that formed the Power Coins were being melted in a special pit set in the back of his forge. There, the liquid hot gold was mixed with a special metal called Tamahagane. It was here the metal was turned into a vessel for the Power. Through, the Tamahagane, the Power could flow through into the holder, helping them morph into the Power Rangers. But it would be another three days before the metal could be formed into the Power Coins and another couple more to bind them to their respective Dinosaurs.

Ninjor wiped at his face, sweat trickling down his forehead. He was dressed in the clothing of the ancient forgers of the Ninjetti. His battle armor was standing near the forge, not needed at the moment. In his hands were the tongs and the hammer of his position as the creator of the Power Coins.

He pulled the glowing red hot metal from the flames, ready to be molded. Hefting the hammer, Ninjor began to pound the metal back onto itself, helping to mix the molecules of the steel more evenly. The anvil shook, the metal slowly bending to his will.

At this very moment, the shadow servants were polishing the Blades of the Katanas and Tantos he had finished forging. This set was the last one, belonging to the Commander of the Sentinels. This was the first of the two Katana Blades. He pounded the metal, the thin rod the unfinished form of the Katana.

"Ninjor?"

Startled by having someone in his forge other than his sister, Ninjor quickly placed the soft hot metal back in the fire, turning around to face the person.

A small smile danced on his lips as he saw the red hair and hazel eyes of the petite Ninjetti before him. "Jessie, what are you doing here?"

"I was wondering about something." Jessie scuffed her foot against the hard stone floor in thought.

"What is it you are wondering?" Ninjor asked the Sentinel of Hope.

"Um, you know about the festival on Earth we celebrate called Christmas where everyone gives people they love gifts and presents since we talked about it during dinner a few days back?" Ninjor nodded his head, recalling when the Sentinels had talked about holidays they loved and missed while they were training here. Jessie continued. "I have been keeping track of the days since we arrived here on Phaedos. I calculated that Christmas is only about a month away. I was thinking of giving them pendants for all of them, including you and Dulcea."

"Pendants?" Ninjor parroted. "Do you have something in mind for the pendants then Jessie?"

"Yeah, I sketched something." Jessie pulled a piece of paper out from the pocket in the trousers of the training tunic she wore. She handed it to Ninjor. "I was thinking of a fine gold chain with a small pendant about the size of a Power Coin or a little smaller actually. I was thinking of placing beads with their respective colors along each chain at intervals." Jessie said cautiously.

Ninjor studied the design. It was simple yet elegant if made correctly. "I believe it will be quite easy to accomplish. What will you use as beads?"

"I don't know. During the days of rest Dulcea gave us, I've been collecting small stones that had the same colors as what we have but I haven't found any of the colors like silver, blue, yellow and pink."

Ninjor thought for a while. "There is a place by the Ninjetti Springs where rocks with different colors grow. I believe you can find all of the colors you need there."

"Grow? Rocks don't grow."

Ninjor gave a conspiratorial grin. "These ones do."

Jessie looked perplexed. "How can rocks grow?"

"These rocks or rather crystals are different from other earth formations. The Ninjetti Springs are charged with the Great Power, able to heal almost anything, like the Eternal Falls of Aquitar. The Springs lie close to the Temple of the Sentinels, tucked in one of the crevices of the Monolith itself. Because of this, the crystals are naturally formed their have a connection with the Great Power, somehow making them almost alive. The crystals grow there, bursting with their respective Powers. But the reason why many don't go there is do to the fact that the Ninjetti Springs are well guarded by the Great Power itself."

"And as I'm a Sentinel, you think that I'll be able to enter the canyon where they grow?"

"Yes. I have great faith in you, Jessie."

The Squirrel Ninjetti thought for a moment. "I can always use some practice in teleporting. How many crystals should I get?"

"A crystal about seven inches high should cover your needs." Ninjor said.

"The crystals are near the Temple of the Sentinels?"

"Yes." Ninjor handed her a sack and a special knife. "To carry the crystals around and to cut the crystals."

"I'll see you in a few." The small girl gave a wave before an expression came over her face. A second later, amber and sun-rose flames erupted around her, teleporting her away.

"Might as well, start working on the chains." Ninjor took a block of untouched pure gold block and placed it into a heat proof urn, gently sinking it into the red hot coals. Picking a small block of Tamahagane, he began to separate the soft Tamahagane from the hard Tamahagane.

He worked hard, mixing the two together to form the special mix of the two metals. He was thinking a fine rope chain would be the most elegant for the pendant. Ninjor smiled when he felt Jessie teleport back in.

"Were you successful?" Ninjor asked.

"Yes." Jessie gave a smile as she handed the sack to him, filled with crystals. "I also took doubles or even triples for the colors that we have, like black and white."

"That's understandable."

"When do you think you'll be done?"

"Give me about a week, Jessie." Ninjor looked at her. "Do want to help me?"

"SURE!" Ninjor laughed.

"Come then." Happily, the ancient forger told Jessie how he made the special mix, what they were used for, and what signs to look for. Sitting down, they set to work.

(VvVvVvVvV)

Dulcea watched as Will gave instructions out, the segment connecting the arm of the Isamu Ryder was placed in its proper position.

Their training had gone well so far. Already, she had faith in their skills and instincts. In their sparring matches, each was holding their own against her and Ninjor. Using practice blades, their skill in swordsmanship had also increased thanks to her younger brother's teachings. Soon, they would soon be given their Blades; the two Katanas and the two Tantos, the mark of the active Sentinels.

There was a grinding noise as Scott lowered the arm into the arm socket, Joseph and Ryan tightening the pistons and hydraulic lines and Will checking the circuitry and wires.

Isamu Will's Ryder was the last of the eleven assault vehicles of the Sentinels. All of them resembled their respective Animal Spirits, their colors, and Sentinel status. Giant mechanical warriors, magnificent and powerful in their own right. She truly was impatient to see how they would perform under the stress of battle, much like their creator.

From her perch, she saw Will climbed into the cockpit of the Ryder, through the opening set into the base of the neck above the chest. All of the Sentinels slipped onto the crosswalks. A second later, the lines connecting the Ryder to the monitoring systems disengaged and fell back, freeing the Ryder. In the second after that, the eyes of the Ryder glowed to an intense blue, finally activating for the first time. Will tried out a couple of kicks and punches, the Ryder flowing suit.

"Dulcea, everything checks out okay." Scott yelled out.

The Ryder gave a punch, then a round house kick, the machine moving as flawlessly like its pilot.

"It is a great feat." Dulcea said.

"Yes it is." Ninjor agreed. "I don't see why Zordon chose the current Blue Ranger over William. He may not know how to fight then but he could have learned by his peers."

"Yes, indeed, brother." The Ryder stood at attention. Will emerged, grinning happily at their success. "His mind is more knowledgeable of the mechanics of the Ryders and Zords than others of his race."

Ninjor knew she spoke of Will. "He is truly more remarkable than his peers. Do you fear for him?"

Dulcea turned. "He believes that his spirit has been blemished by his imprisonment, underneath Rita. I think he will only be truly freed when he is forgiven by those he used to call friends."

"The Tiger Ninjetti holds much love for him."

"Yes, she does. With her love, William has been able to open more fully to the others."

There was a great cheer as the Sentinels laughed and talked about their accomplishment. Dulcea and Ninjor saw the air around the Ryder ripple and churn. A shadow began to spread from the outside inward, shadowing the Ryder from view. Then the air started inward, covering the Ryder as it slid into the Hanger Dimension the Sentinels had created with Dulcea's help. The air fell back into place as the path between the dimension and this one closed.

Will laughed as Joseph made a joke. Scott threw an arm around Will's shoulders, jabbing a finger at Joseph who gave a mock glare, the others laughing even harder. Will grinned and shook his head.

"Do you think they will survive?" Ninjor asked. "I have become very fond of them?"

"I have great faith in them,"

"That doesn't really answer my question, Dulcea."

"I do not know. The Dark Legions are taught to hate all Ninjetti and to kill them on sight."

"You are afraid that we will lose them." It was a statement.

"They are so young Ninjor, for a race and especially in their years. Too young to know the horrors of war and of lives laid to waste, some by their own hand. Their spirits may be too heavily burdened by what they must do to protect the innocents from the Dark Legions."

"They are the only hope of many. We can only hope they will be able to adjust. They have each other to lean on."

"Yes, they do."

"DULCEA! NINJOR!" Jessie poked her head through the small group, waving at them to come over.

"Let's see what they want of us." Ninjor said, giving a small distraction from the dark topic.

Giving her brother a smile, Dulcea followed him to where the group talked.


	8. Still So Distant

Chapter Eight- Still So Distant

"So, Jessie, why did you have in that sack?" Joseph playfully gave the smaller girl a gentle shove as she brought out a leather sack into view.

"You guys all know we've been here on Phaedos for a long time. Well, with Will's help, I've been keeping track of the holidays. Tomorrow is Christmas Day, which would mean this is Christmas Eve." She gave them a small shy smile. "Thanks. With Ninjor's help, I made small presents for all of you, including Dulcea and Ninjor."

Setting the sack on the ground, Jessie pulled out a small box about three inches wide and two inches long. "First off, this is to Joseph, the ever playful and boisterous one of our group." She handed him the box with an imprint of a rearing mustang. "This is for you, Mark, the ever gentleman." Mark's had a prowling panther set on the lid. "Scott, the happy one and funniest of all of us." Scott's had a coiled serpent that resembled a cobra of India. "Kayla, you are the one who keeps things fair between us, even when we want to kill each other off." A fox peeking from the bushes was set on hers. "Gabriel, you are the one that helps to pass on advice even when we don't want to hear it." The Sentinel of Wisdom's box was adorned with an owl set in a tree. "Day, as second in command, you sometimes have to keep your cool. And for that we all love ya." The Sentinel of Fortitude had a hissing Komodo Dragon set on her box top. "Ryan, just like Gabe, you says things that we object to, even if it's the truth." Jessie handed him a box with a diving osprey. "Toni, you are the one that helps us when we lose trust in each other." Jessie handed her a box with a wary badger near a river. "Rebekkah, you are a mother to all of us, making sure we eat, our wounds are healed and making us talk to each other." Hers had a graceful tiger walking on the plains. Jessie turned to Will. "At first, I thought you were a jerk, especially when you making life hard for Beck. But lately I've come to see you as an older brother. So Merry Christmas." She handed him a small box.

Will looked at the wooden item in his hand, seeing the wolf perched on top of a cliff, seeming to watch and protect. "Thanks, Jessie."

"You guys can open them now. That's the point of a present."

The Sentinels smirked, complying with her small reprimand. The girls gasped as the Sentinels pulled out the small but delicate pendants within each of the boxes.

"Jess, they're beautiful!" Rebekkah said, the pendant dangling from her fingers.

"Wow!" Kayla agreed.

Will placed his box on the workbench, undoing the clasp. He put it on, the pendant settling against the base of his throat. He gave the small girl a hug, startling her. "Thanks for the gift."

Each one of the Sentinels gave her a hug, thanking her for the small gifts.

"What did you get for Dulcea and Ninjor?"

"Jeez, hold on, Joseph." Jessie said, walking over to them. She gave them each a slightly bigger box. "Here are your presents. Merry Christmas." Dulcea and Ninjor quickly unwrapped them, revealing medallions instead of pendants.

"Thank you Jessie." Dulcea said, wondered by the present.

"I believe you did a fabulous job in making them." Ninjor said, checking the detail of the medallion with a forger's eye. "Very well indeed."

"Thanks, Ninjor."

"You know, I can't believe we've been here a year already." Ryan said, jumping up onto the desk, his legs swinging over the side. "The hangers look empty without the Ryders here."

"I can't believe we are done with them." Will looked wistfully at the gadgets and machines adorning the hanger. "There are a lot of things I want to try out."

"I'm telling you, he's still a scientist at heart." Joseph said in a mock whisper to Scott.

'You leave him alone. Just because you barely pass by with a 'C' doesn't mean you get to pick on him. Anyways, he can kick your ass." Kayla threw at Joseph.

"Oh, I'm so hurt! And you're the Sentinel of Justice?" Joseph lightly joked.

Will watched a fake smile on his face. Inside, he still kept the guilt and pain at bay, making sure that none of other Sentinels

"Hey, Will! Are you coming? We are going to go celebrate the completion of the Ryders!" Scott said as he shut down the consoles at his end, the other Sentinels cleaning up.

"Nah, I'm going to stay here a while."

Scott gave a slow nod, as if unsure. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Go on. I'll catch up." He saw Rebekkah give a frown but left with the others when Will waved her concern off. "I'm fine. I'll just check over the data and I'll catch up with you guys. It won't take even ten minutes.'

"Fine, Will. But you only get ten minutes."

"It's enough." Will reassured her.

"Let's go party before Dulcea says we need to go run another couple of laps." Ryan said as he ran to the dining hall.

The moment they left, Will dropped his charade. Looking back up at where Isamu once stood in the hanger bay, he sighed. His gaze drifted back to his hands. It seemed he was only good enough to build weapons and machines. His fingers curled inward. They were weapons now, no longer something that resembled human. In his mind's eye, he could see the white gloved hands of the Grey Ranger, still feel the softness of the material over his skin; still see the blood of his friends and family on the blade that was clenched in his hands.

Even though they were going to be used for good, the Ryders were still machines built to destroy the enemy as quickly and as efficiently as possible, regardless of who was in the way.

He glanced where Rebekkah and the Sentinels had disappeared laughing and joking. Much like when he was in high school, watching the students run through the halls, hanging out with friends, commenting on the gossip of the day. Where it had changed so much?

_When Rita was freed and when she kidnapped me. That's when it all changed; when I became lost in the darkness. _Will thought bitterly.

Now, almost a year later since he was freed, he still woke up in bed, sweating and shivering, blindly looking for Goldar, Rita, or Finster in the darkness; or even his friends crying with pain, lashing out with hate and betrayal, or his father staring down at him coldly. His hand moved up, fingers touching the pendant reverently. Despite what he had told them, he still suffered the nightmares of his imprisonment. Other nights, he woke up, wondering if everything he had gone through was an illusion or his imagination. Most nights after having a nightmare, he questioned his link with Rebekkah, if it was real. Of course, he never told Rebekkah about it.

He just learned to hide it better, especially from Rebekkah.

Now that they were bonded, the link between them had changed, growing stronger and more potent than the links with the others. Beck could pick up on his emotions almost easily along with his surface thoughts. Thought he kept the specifics to himself, she could still sense when something was troubling him. He could spill the beans to her, tell her everything.

But she wouldn't understand. She never could. Unless she went through the same thing. No matter how great the imagination was she would never conjure an image even close to what he had gone through. Or what he had placed the Rangers through when he had tortured them in the dungeons that one single night. Only another could understand.

Will slid the computer tablet that he used away in one of the storage cabinets littered around the hanger.

Unknown to the Rangers, he had also built the Ryders to be able to stand what ever the Velociraptor could dish out. They were superior to the Zord he had piloted under Rita's control. It was all thanks to Ninjor who had been able to create a new alloy from an existing metal not found on Earth. The metal was called trinium which was as light as aluminum and stronger than anything he had ever seen. But the new alloy was even stronger than raw trinium, able to withstand a nuclear blast at point-blank range. This caused the Ryder to be even lighter than he had expected at eight tons, being a little over twenty meters. They were about four-five tons. This made them faster in the space and ground fighting.

Still, it was just another weapon.

"Is that what you think of it?"

"Well, what do you want me to think, Dulcea? It's built to dish out punishment and take it. It's a fighting machine."

Dulcea sat down, gazing at him with that intense look she had. "Why do you feel so much guilt at your imprisonment, William? It was out of your control the moment Rita had you in her mind. There was nothing you could do except wait for your chance to escape."

"It wasn't out my control! I just let it happen. I was weak in mind and body. That's why she chose me! Not that I was a fighter or intelligent, it was the fact that she knew she could break me. I let her." He threw the used tools inside the box made for them. They clanged loudly, protesting his treatment of them.

"William, you are so wrong."

"Wrong about what?" He bitterly asked, closing the tool box with a loud snap, the metal reverberating under his hands.

"You are not weak in spirit. If you were, you would have never opened yourself even the tiniest of bits to the other Sentinels. If you were weak in body, then you would have never become the fighter you are now. You are refusing to see what others see in you, the brilliant young man who refuses to let the darkness of life consume him." Dulcea laid a hand on his shoulder. "There's only one thing we can ever truly control."

"And what would that be?"

"Whether we are good or evil." He looked at her. "You chose to be good, William, even though you have been tortured, controlled against your will, forced to betray your friends, hurt the ones you loved, and destroy the place you call home. Yet, you still fight for what is good, for what you still continue to believe in William. And that is why you are the Sentinel of Courage. For it takes courage to continue to walk the path of what is true in your heart even when events try to make you fall from your path."

The pendant against his chest began to warm, a comforting feeling penetrating through the gloom that entered his mind as he had built the Ryders. He let it wash over him, pushing the dark thoughts out his mind for the time being. "Sorry, Dulcea. You didn't n

eed to hear that."

He heard the Master Warrior give a sigh. "William, what will I do with you? This is what family and friends do for each other. We listen to when a friend needs help or support, providing a shoulder to cry on. Rebekkah has been worried about you."

"Yeah, I know."

"When will you talk to her of this?"

"I don't know, Dulcea."

She gave him a hard look. "You must not wait so long, William."

"I know that too. I just need breathing distance."

(VvVvVvVvV)

Another year passed, the Sentinels learning all they could from Dulcea and Ninjor until finally they were providing more than a match for the Ninja Master and Master Warrior. Within their training they finished building the battle cruiser which was then christened _Dead Reckoning_ by the Sentinels. With help from the shadow servants as Jessie called them, they moved their entire small amount of belongings into the quarters that Will built.

The ship was as long as two aircraft carriers bow to stern and about four carriers side by side. It towered over fifty stories high. It had to be big, it carried four hanger bays where the Ryders could be brought in and repaired. Above the hangers was what Dayleen called the Battle Tower, where everything from the battle data of the Ryders, the new space fighters that had yet to be named, and the ship's weapon systems were stored. The Tower also served as a technical station from where battles could be monitored along with Ryders through the medical observation link. Set almost in the front of the cruiser was the Bridge where the hyper-space systems, subspace communications systems, and all the other systems that Will came up with were located and from where the cruiser was sent on its course. Right above that, overlooking them was the Commander's Deck. It was where Will would talk with anyone privately and yet oversee the routines of the ship, which Will said was going to seldom. The ship also carried two gyms, each equipped with everything an athlete want, a simulator, and mats for further martial art practice which were set above the hangers and in front of the Battle Tower. The quarters for the Sentinels resided in the deepest part of the ship, in front of the hangers and under the gyms. The reactor core for the fusion-naqaudria engines where located behind the hangers and Battle Tower, encased in a trinium alloy cage, designed to direct the explosion of the reactors away from the inside of the ship. The medical bay was located beneath the Sentinel quarters along with extra quarters that could hold another a hundred people if need be. The prisoner cells, which Kayla had suggested, were located right behind the Battle Tower.

But right now, Will was thinking if he could run up to the gym and punch the hell out of a punching bag as the meeting was still going on about the codenames for them and the codenames for the Ryders.

"So, Will picked Isamu for the name of his Ryder and chose the nickname Araya." Dayleen told the others. "Mark, what are your choices?"

"I chose Jon for my nick and Nao for my Ryder's codename." Mark moved a checkers piece on the board he was playing against Joseph. The others were playing 'BS'.

"Toni?" Dayleen quickly wrote down Mark's answer.

"Imani for my name and Amana for my Ryder's." She slapped down two cards.

"Joseph?"

"Goldolphin for my name and Fidel." Joseph moved another piece, jumping over three of Mark's, halving his side. Joseph gave a cocky grin as he took the pieces off the field.

"Fidel? Sounds like Fidel Castro to me man." Scott rose an eyebrow. "The American government might go after your ass." He slapped down a card right after Scott placed down a card.

"I'll show them that my Fidel is a force of good, thank you very much." Joseph blew out a breath as Mark moved to his side. He crowned the new Black King. "I hate you." Mark only grinned back.

Dayleen rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Kayla?"

"I picked Genesis and Adil for my Ryder." She slapped a card on top of Gabriel's card.

"Scott?"

"Logan for my name and Khalil for my Ryder's. Bullshit." The Serpent Ninjetti flipped Kayla's card, revealing hers to be the true seven. Sighing, he took the entire pile of cards into his hands.

"Gabriel?"

"Mazda for my name and Daichi for my Ryder's." He placed two cards down, starting a new pile.

"Rebekkah?"

"Rene for mine and Tua for my Ryder's." The Tiger Ninjetti slammed down three cards.

"Jessie?"

"Ariella for my name and Saki for my Ryder's. BS!" The Squirrel Ninjetti turned the cards over and revealed them to be real. "At least the pile's small." She griped as she added the new cards to her hand.

"Ryan?"

"Rowan for mine and Makoto." The Osprey Ninjetti placed down a card. Scott called it and flipped the cards, revealing the fake card. He whooped as Ryan took his cards and the new pile into his hands. Dayleen wrote down the last of the names and closed the book.

"Hey, Day, you didn't tell us what did you chose for your names?" Scott asked, starting a new pile.

"I picked Malie for mine and Shanta for my Ryder's."

"I like that name; Shanta." Jessie said, letting the name roll of her lips.

"You know, naming the Ryders make them more personal." Mark said, letting his feet drop to the floor from the table where they had been propped. "I think the Rangers only called them Tyrannosaur and Dragon Zord."

"Can you really believe we are here?" Jessie waved around them. They were in the briefing room for the Sentinels on board _Reckoning_, located right behind the Bridge. "Two years."

"I wonder what my parents are doing." Toni thought out loud. She could almost see her parents reading books by the big window in front of their house.

"I know my dad is probably watching the NFL and the MLB." Ryan perked up, suddenly interested. "What teams go you guys go for?"

"Sorry, man. I never watched football." Will admitted, shrugging his shoulder. "Never had time for that."

"Who's a Warriors fan?" Joseph asked, raising his hand up into the air. Mark, Kayla, and Gabriel raised their hands, showing their support of the Angel Grove NFL team.

"I'm not a fan of any of the teams." Rebekkah said, taking a sip of her drink.

"I'm a Raider's fan." Jessie spoke up.

"Ahh! Joseph pretended to leap away from her in horror. "We have a Raider's fan on the team! Say it isn't so!"

"Shut up." Jessie punched Joseph in the arm.

"Yeah, she's a Raiders fan alright." Joseph grouched, rubbing at the sore spot.

"I'm a Patriots fan." Scott turned to Toni and gave her a high five as he was a Patriot's fan too.

"I'm a Denver Broncos fan." Dayleen said.

"What about you, Ryan?" Jessie asked, giving another punch to Joseph who was making faces at her.

"I'm a Falcon's fan."

"One Raider. That's not bad." Joseph howled as Jessie gave him another punch. "Harassment, man."

"Then stop acting like a prick."

"Jeez." Joseph whined.

"Not all Raider fans are violent. I mean, there are some fans of all NFL teams that are like the Raider fans. You, know, all hyper about the games." Jessie said seriously. "In fact, I have great sportsmanship."

"Yeah, if her teams wins." Joseph yelped as the Squirrel Ninjetti landed another punch.

Will smiled. "I think we better change the subject before Jessie pummels Joseph to death."

The chatter died as Ninjor walked into the room. The Ninja Master's appearance wasn't the reason why the talk between the friends had ceased; rather it was the expression on his face.

"Sentinels, Dulcea wishes to see you in the chambers." The Sentinels looked at each other, concerns and fear rising their stomachs. The only time they would ever be called to the chambers before Dulcea's private quarters if they had a mission.

Silently, the group followed the quiet Ninja Master down the hall into the chambers were a solemn Dulcea was waiting for them. She always had a somewhat stern expression, always serious. There were few times when they had caught her with a smile on her face. Now was so not one of her times. Ninjor gave a formal bow before leaving.

"You all have been practicing with practice blades. Now it is time for you to receive your true Blades, the Katanas and Tantos you will use in the field of battle and which you will wear even though no one else shall see it." Dulcea pointedly looked at Will. "Then right after the ceremony, you will all leave for your first mission. I will not give you the details until you have your Katanas. Go to your chambers and prepare yourselves. I will meet you at the Temple of the Ninjetti at the Monolith." Dulcea entered her chambers, the heavy wooden door closing silently.

"You heard what Dulcea said." Will said. The Sentinels left, the happy mood now gone, their stomachs churning with fear and anxiety.

"Do you know what's going on?" Dayleen asked the Wolf Ninjetti as they headed to their rooms.

"No but I don't like the way Ninjor and Dulcea are acting. Something's definitely up." Will bit his lip. "Somehow, I have a feeling that this mission is either going to break or bring this team together."

"Man, I hope you're wrong, Will." Dayleen said. "Do you think we are ready?"

"We're ready as we will ever be." Will stopped. "I promise that I'll get you all through what ever we are about to go through. I won't leave anyone behind."

"We know you will, man. We trust you." Dayleen clapped him on the shoulder with a smile before entering her room.

"I hope that I won't break that trust." Will quietly said, facing the closed door. He looked at the other closed doors, silently repeating his promise to them all. Determined to not fail, he entered his room to prepare for the ceremony.

**Spyridon- Next up, the Ceremony of the Blades and the mission details along with the lanching of _Dead Reckoning. _Go ahead and click the little button. I love reviews! Oh, and Chapter three of WID may be posted up today. Or next week. **


	9. The Ceremony of Blades

**REVIEWS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED!**

Chapter Nine- The Ceremony of Blades

The Ninjetti Sentinels stood before the Monolith, dressed in their ceremonial gi. The air was slightly cold, the earth warmed by the Power that blazed within the Monolith. A great bonfire was set in the wide marble bowl placed before the stone steps leading up to the Monolith itself. The long pools carved into the ground gently rolled against the sides, creating a comforting sound.

Dulcea entered, moving in from the shadows, her Singing Staff in one had. She was dressed in flowing green robes, the edges in gold and white. The circlet on her forehead, gleamed, the emerald catching the light of the fire. She stood before the fire, her green eyes gazing from one figure to the other.

"It has been long centuries since the last Ninjetti passed unto these steps, ready for war and battle. You have all been trained in the now Ancient arts of the Ninjetti, learning to be skilled warriors and fierce protectors. The end of your training has come. Tonight, with the blessing of the Spirits, you will take your place among the Ninjetti ranks. To do so, you must each call your Blades from their resting place." The Master Warrior told them, the light flickering across her face.

They had been taught how to call each of their Blades but from what they knew, it was more difficult to do then simply calling them.

Standing straight, each of the Sentinels bowed their heads, raising their arms before them and shaped their hands into the form of a triangle. Each then began to focus their thoughts and Power into spheres of glowing rotating light.

Will thought even deeper, searching for that calm meditation he had entered when he had trained with Dulcea and Ninjor. Beneath the chaotic flow of his mind, he searched. Then with a burst of suddenness, he found it. The presence of the Wolf was there, a lurking shadow in his thoughts.

_**Why have you searched for me, young cub?**_ The white Wolf asked him, the amber eyes calmly staring at him.

_**I call for the Blades.**_

_**You call for the silent Blades. **_The Wolf moved to its feet, the large white ears flicking forward. _**And what makes you think that you are worthy of the honor of carrying them? You were once the Grey Ranger, evil servant of the witch Rita Repulsa. **_

_**That is not who I am, revered One. **_

_**It has made you who you are now. **_The Wolf moved closer, its paws softly landing in the ground of the forest. _**The Blades have not been called for in a long time, cub. Even now, they rest in the forge of Ninjor, waiting for their next master. One may not come, one may. Why you?**_The Wolf repeated.

Will began to panic. The Wolf was rejecting him, judging him not worthy to carry the Blades of the Sentinels. His team would leave without him, possibly to face the mission without him. He couldn't do this to them. _**I do this to guard my pack. I will not let them enter the battle against the darkness without me. I will not let them face this alone. My friends and mate need me. **_

The Wolf suddenly snarled, amber eyes flashing as the great white animal pounced on him slamming into his chest and sending him back onto the floor. The paws of his Spirit Animal were on his chest, the great head high above him. He could see the teeth of the Wolf beneath the upper lip. _**You would guard them with your life? You would lie down before Death to protect them?**_

_**If I have to fight for them, I would. But I would not lie before Death for I will fight him for all our lives. My blood will be shed before theirs. My life will be placed on the line before theirs; my body will fight before theirs for their life, their innocence is more important to me than my own. I once may have been the Grey Ranger, forced to hurt, to kill, to torture but I have never done so of my own free will. I chose my own path, my own destiny. I am a fighter, and I will fight with all that I am against those who do wrong against others.**_

The Wolf moved his head closer, the jaws getting closer and closer to Will's exposed neck. _**Then so be it, Sentinel of Courage, chosen Commander of the Ninjetti Sentinels.**_ The Wolf dug his claws into Will's chest as the jaws closed around his neck, the skin tearing and breaking apart as the blood oozed up. But Will didn't feel the pain. He didn't fight against what the Wolf was doing. Instead, he welcomed it, embracing his Animal Spirit. He gasped, back arching as the Wolf seemed to enter him, joining with him on all levels. _**The Call has been sent forth. Re-forge the silent Blades, sound the deadly Call. Sentinels of the Ninjetti AWAKE!**_ With one last howl of triumph, the Wolf fully melded into Will, the cuts instantly healing as if they were never made.

Will opened his eyes which now were an electric blue. The pendant on his neck glowed brightly, the Blue and Black swirling around it like it were alive. His blood pounded through his body, adrenaline coursing like liquid fire. Will then realized he was breathing heavily, ready for battle. He turned to look at the others and saw them all in a similar state. At the smallest movement, he felt something on his back. Reaching up and over he could feel the hilt of a long blade. Dropping it, he searched at his waist. His fingers curled around the hilt of what seemed like a dagger. It was the Blades. They had come at his call.

"Shit." Mark gasped as he unclenched his hands.

"Dulcea?" Toni asked, looking shocked.

"William, walk forward to me." The Sentinel Commander moved forward, kneeling at Dulcea's feet. Ninjor appeared at his sister's side, holding a tray and a ceremonial sword. "You have endured many trials, Blue Wolf Ninjetti; the death of your innocence, the imprisonment under Rita's hands, the agony and guilt of hurting your friends and family. Through all of this, you have endured. You chose to still walk the path and you have let yourself accept the care and friendship of your new Pack. Because of this, the Wolf has accepted you as his cub." Dulcea pulled the sword from its scabbard on the tray and laid it gently on Will's right shoulder. "Courage, Faith, Fortitude, Friendship, Honor, Hope, Justice, Love, Loyalty, Sincerity, Wisdom." With each word, she moved the sword to each shoulder. "These are the Crests held in high regard of the Ninjetti. May you follow each of them well." She sheathed the sword again. The Master Warrior then dipped her pointer and middle finger in the bowl filled with ash and wine. "May the Spirits guide you on whatever path you choose, Wolf Sentinel." With quick precise strokes, she marked Will's forehead with the sign of the Zodiac. "Rise and take your place."

Will stood before her and bowed to each of the Masters. With three steps he took the opposite of Dulcea. He watched as the Master Warrior called each of the Sentinels to her, performing the ceremony with them. Finally, with Gabriel's done, Dulcea walked forward, her robes swirling around her feet. She took the opposite of the stone basin.

"You are now Ninjetti, warriors of an ancient race long forgotten. You are the protectors of the beacons of light and hope for many. You are the warrior that protects and defends for you realize the value of all life, knowing they are individuals unto themselves. It is your Duty to ensure their safety and lives. Look beside you; eleven warriors; eleven friends; eleven brothers and sisters of the Ninjetti. No matter what happens from this day unto the ending of the world, you are the Guardians in the night."

With a final roar, the bonfire shot up and the sky then exploded outward, the swirls of flame dissipating. The Temple went silent, the light of the moons softly landing within the stones.

Will walked forward, hand caressing the Blades on his waist. "Dulcea, we have a mission don't we?"

The Master Warrior gave a smile. "Yes, you do William. Unfortunately, time is against us. You will spend the night before departing tomorrow after I give you all I know on the mission. May each of you rest well." Before anybody could say anything, she turned into the Snowy Owl and flew off, singing her night song.

"The more she acts like that, the scarier the mission seems." Scott said.

"Too cliché." Ryan commented. "You'd think she has better tricks."

(VvVvVvVvV)

The air inside Dead Reckoning was still, charged with tension. Inside the War Room, located behind and beneath the Commander's Deck, sat a large circular oak desk, the surface polished, able to seat around 50 comfortably, and as big as a corporate office table. On one end, a straight space was sliced into the table itself, creating room so anyone could walk inside of the table as there was a large whole cut out in it to make a place where anyone outside of the Sentinels could talk. Set in the center of the circle in the ground was a 4-inch glass window, the projector for KEYA, the onboard artificial intelligence central processing unit. A thin laser circled the room, six feet above the ground and laid into the wall itself, more projectors with more hidden in the walls themselves, all run by KEYA.

At the moment, Dulcea was in the center, drawing all of the attention of the Sentinels. "Your first mission will be to the planet Bremen where the tyrant Adrianna Zero rules with an iron fist. You must use extreme caution with her as she has been known to use many men to satisfy her insatiable sexual hunger and blood. Adrianna is also a witch with incredible power, possibly hereditary from her great great-grandmother Rita Repulsa." All of the Sentinels eyes were drawn to Will whose face was suddenly covered with an expressionless mask. "She believes it is her right to rule Bremen and will do anything to keep it. From what we have learned given to us by the rebellion, Adrianna has built a starship capable of destroying major cities on Bremen's sister planet, Romaine. The control room is on the surface of Bremen within Adrianna's palace."

"So we are going to have to infiltrate her house and hopefully get to the control room before she gets there." Ryan said tapping his fingers against the table. "That's not in our favor."

"Unless she acts like her grandmother." Joseph muttered.

"From what I hear, she's very dangerous." Kayla frowned. "Dulcea, do you think Adrianna will let us take her in custody to await trial?"

"She will try to kill you all before she dies." Dulcea replied with a grim expression. "Reports also make me believe that she might possibly know of her grandmother's recent attempts to take over Earth and of the Grey Ranger."

"I shouldn't let her see my scar then?"

"That would be advisable, William. If she sees the scar, then she will go after you." Dulcea turned to the others. "She will assume that you are untrained and not ready for battle. She will try to over tax you all."

"Wouldn't she know that we've been trained for two years?" Jessie asked the Master Warrior.

"Yes but the Great Power has many abilities which the enemies of the Ninjetti do not know."

"Which would be?" Mark inquired.

"With the help of the Gods and Spirits I can warp time surrounding Phaedos. Though you have been on Phaedos for over two years, on Earth and in the rest of the universe, it has only been two days since your arrival."

The Sentinels looked at her. "Two days?" Dayleen repeated.

"Two days."

"Forty-eight hours." Dayleen repeated to herself. "Right; so that makes me still sixteen."

"In body as the Great Power has halted your aging for the training but your soul is now two years older."

"We'll deal with this later, guys. We need to get back to the issue." Dayleen settled in her chair, shaking her head at the revelation. "So it's been two days which makes Adrianna believe we only got our Crests and Blades. This works in our favor."

"She might send only her wet-behind-the-ear recruits or she'll send her elite guard to wipe us out before we even get to the outer walls."

"Don't be so cynical, Mark." Beck admonished. "It could work."

"I think infiltration would be our best bet. A distraction could draw forces away from her palace." Will tapped a finger on the table. "Of course, we are going to have to talk to the rebel army before we do anything."

"When will the attack take place, Dulcea." Ryan asked.

"According to our sources, in three days as the engines onboard are very slow. It will be aiming for one of the major capital cities of the continent of Benito."

"How many?"

"The city contains a population of over a million inhabitants and is where the government body is located."

"Destroy that and the entire continent falls apart." Will said.

"You will meet up with the rebel army at this given coordinates. May the Spirits watch over you." Dulcea teleported back to her private chambers where Will had set up a communications device that was directly linked up with the onboard computers of _Dead Reckoning._

"Here we go." Gabe said.

"Here we go. Take up your positions." Will softly ordered. The Sentinels moved out of the Briefing room, heading for the Bridge. Will took his seat at the Commander's Console, watching as the rest took their seats. "Kayla, bring the sub-light engines on line."

"Sub-light engines on line. Bay doors are opening." They could see the dust falling as the large metal doors above them were opening. Slowly, the battle cruiser lifted, the plumes of smoke and wind turbulence blew around in the hanger bay. The top edge of the hanger passed beneath, the desert beach stretching away from them. They could see the plateau where the Ancient Ninjetti Ruins stood to the left of the deploying cruiser.

"Heading out." Kayla reported as the battle cruiser picked up speed, heading straight into outer space.

"Get ready to bring the hyper-drive engines on line." The blue sky of Phaedos began to darken, the gases in the atmosphere striking the ship causing a layer of heated gas to form around them. Five minutes later, outer space was in front of them. "Engage hyper-drive."

"Engaging hyper-drive engines." The light humming of the sub-light engines died, to only by replaced by the deep thrumming of the hyper-drive engines. The star field seemed to warp, a bright white light flashing, then the bright purple of hyper space.

"What's the destination time?"

"Approximately twelve hours."

"We should get some sleep." Will said.

"I don't anyone going to sleep." Mark muttered.

"We can at least try. I don't we'll get any once we are on the planet." Toni said as she ushered him out. The rest of the Sentinels filed out, heading to their respective quarters.

"Do you want me to stay with you?" Beck asked.

Will nodded. "I'll meet you there in about an hour."

"Okay. Don't be late or I'll hunt you down." Beck said as she gave him a kiss. The moment they left, the Blue Wolf Ninjetti headed up into the Commander's Deck. Will sat on the window sill under the medium-sized window, staring out at subspace as the ship sped on its way to Amana. The engines were working perfectly but on the inside, Will's stomach was twisting itself in knots.

What were the odds that the great granddaughter of the person most hated in his life was the tyrant on the planet that asked for the Sentinels help on their first mission? Fate must be having a laugh at his expense. And what was he going to do? Kayla was hoping they would turn Adrianna over to the Inter-Galactic Police Force so she wouldn't be killed outright by the people she had terrorized. Some dark thought that hid in the back of his mind wanted to kill her outright.

_No son of mine would be evil enough to torture their own friends and family. _

Will groaned, closing his eyes and letting his head hit the glass pane.

If only the material would break so he would be sucked out into the empty void on the other side of the force-field. Yeah, like that was going to happen. He had built the cruiser to withstand a great amount of damage.

"Dude, are you okay?" Mark asked as he took a seat in one of the chairs in the Commander's Deck across from where Will was.

"Just thinking." Will muttered, eyes still closed.

"About the mission." Mark placed his feet on another chair, laying back. "We'll make it."

"How can you be so sure?' Will sat up to face him. "We'll be going against an evil tyrant who takes after her grandmother."

"Do you want to know why I'm so sure?" Mark waited until Will nodded. "It's because of you. You know the dangers of what and who we are. You know what can happen out there. And as you went through all of that shit under Rita's hands, you will make sure that we never go through what you went through. You will make sure we all survive or die trying." Mark stated firmly, belief ringing true.

Will looked at him, seeing the stern expression of the Panther Ninjetti's face. "Thanks."

"Hey, we're friends after all." Mark looked out the window. "Kind of cool that we're flying in a space ship."

"I've always wanted to know how it was like to be up here." Will said softly. "As a science geek, I was always into anything scientific. Sometimes I would spend nights up on the roof my house in Chicago with my mom, looking up at the stars."

"She sounds cool. If I ever wondered more than a few houses from my house, my mom would freak." Mark chuckled. He then sobered. "Does your mom know about you?"

Barely concealed grief flew over Will's face at the mention of his mom. "No. She's been dead since I was eight years old. Car accident."

Mark made a face. "Sorry, man."

"It's in the past." Will leaned back against the wall. "So how's it with Toni?"

Mark blushed at the mention of the Badger Ninjetti. "Ah, well. . . ." He ruffled his hair.

"You're mates, huh?"

"Yeah." The light-haired teen blushed.

"When did you guys accept it?"

"Uh, like about two weeks ago. Unlike you and Beck, we've been taking it slow."

"Unlike me and Beck? We are still virgins, thank you very much." Will sarcastically said. "And we didn't go that fast."

"According to Scott, he and Kayla caught you in a compromising position."

"We weren't doing anything. She kissed me right before Scott opened the door."

"So, she jumped your bones."

"Yeah." Mark stared at him with one eye. "I'm serious. If Scott had been one second earlier, he would have seen that we weren't kissing."

"Okay, I believe you."

Will shook his head. Suddenly he got up and started to pace around the Deck. "I can't stop thinking about the mission."

"Do you want to go down to the gym and spar?" Mark asked.

"I guess. Maybe I'll be able to sleep after." The two headed to the gyms, traveling through the Sentinel Quarters. Opening the bulkhead door, the two stepped into the lockers set before the gyms. They quickly changed into their practice gear which consisted of loose secondary color pants and cropped shirts and their primary-color belts. They also wrapped strips of primary-color cloth over their hands like a boxer's.

Mark and Will faced off, focusing their minds on each other. Without warning, Mark threw a punch at Will's head. Will raised his arm, blocking the blow from his friend and sparring partner. Dropping into a crouch, he spun around, hooking Mark's leg. With a shout, Mark fell backwards, landing with a loud thump on the mats below. Will quickly raised his fist and aimed for the Panther Ninjetti's neck but Mark quickly rolled away, leaping to his feet a good distance away.

Sweat trickled down their faces, their breaths coming in short gasps. Muscles ached as they pushed their bodies beyond their limits underneath the harsh glare of the LED lights above them. Finally, the match came to an end as Mark threw a punch, extending beyond his limit. Will quickly came up and around, securing his arm around Mark's neck in a stranglehold. Mark struggled trying to get his only free arm up around Will but the Wolf Ninjetti fell down into a sitting position and captured the free limb with his left leg, Mark's right arm caught by Will's right.

"You win, Will." Mark gasped, giving in. The vice-like grip on his throat disappeared. Mark gave a cough as Will helped back to his feet.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Mark rubbed at his throat.

Will went over to the bench where they had placed their towels and pitchers of water. "Here." Will poured two cups of water and handed one to Mark. "This might help."

"Dang, we've been at it for over an hour." Mark commented, checking the clock on the wall.

"And you told me that you'd be back within the hour." Beck said as she entered the gym. "Toni's been looking for you, Mark."

"Ah crap. I completely forgot!" Mark groaned, remembering that he had promised to be back in ten minutes. He quickly grabbed at his towel. "See you guys later!"

"I think he's in trouble." Beck chuckled. "Toni seemed kind of mad that Mark didn't show up."

"So much of the Sentinel of Honor." Will picked up his towel and pitcher. "I'm going to the lockers to change. I'll be out in ten minutes." Will entered the male locker room, placing the pitcher in the sink there. Grabbing new clothes, he quickly took a shower. Slipping on his shirt, he walked outside.

"What did you and Mark talk about?" Beck asked as they headed back to the Sentinel Quarters.

"A couple of things. We're not the only couple anymore."

"Toni and Mark. The Panther and the Badger. Nice combination." Beck commented. "Just like us." She slipped her hand into his.

"Oh, and apparently Scott may have told everyone about the time you kissed me in front of him and Kayla the day after we got together. Mark thought we moved a little further along."

"WHAT?" Beck was blushing at the thought that Scott could think such a thing.

"I told him we were still virgins."

"I'm going to kill Scott."

"Maybe I should have kept that to myself." They entered Beck's quarters. "Did you set off the alarm for ten hours?"

"Yeah." The two slipped under the covers. Will wrapped his arms around Beck. "We're going to be fine, Will." The Wolf Ninjetti only placed his head on top of hers. After a while, her breathing evened out into a deep sleep. He followed soon after, a heavy feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach.

**Spyridon- Here's Chapter Nine of EV. Next, up their first mission against Adrianna Zero, the granddaughter of Rita Repulsa. . . . **


	10. Tried to Give You Warning

**AUTHOR'S NOTES- Codenames of Sentinels in case anybody forgot. And another thing, the Ninjetti Sentinels' stealth uniforms are fashioned after the uniforms of Subzero from Mortal Combat.**

**Will- Araya**

**Ryan- Rowan**

**Scott- Logan**

**Gabriel- Mazda**

**Kayla- Genesis**

**Dayleen- Malie**

**Mark- Jon**

**Rebekkah- Rene**

**Jessie- Ariella**

**Joseph- Goldolphin**

**Toni- Imani**

Chapter Ten- Tried to Give You Warning

_Dead Reckoning_ dropped out of hyper space right above the blue-green surface of Bremen, immediately cloaking to hide its signature from any satellites or sensors so as not to alert Adrianna of their arrival. The ship drifted to the dark side of planet, settling into a geo-synchronous orbit above the rebel base. From their vantage point, they could easily see Romaine and the planet destroyer that was a deadly grey fleck in the blackness of space. 

Will and the Sentinels were in their seats, gazing out the large window view of the Bridge. Each one was anxious and nervous about what was going to happen soon, including the confrontation with Adrianna Zero. 

"Despite us living on another planet and the fact we are onboard an intergalactic ship, I can't believe that we are looking at another planet supporting life." Jessie said her large eyes opened in wonder. The others silently agree with her though no one spoke out loud.

"Mark, can you open a link with the rebel base?" Shaking off the wonder and awe, Will addressed the Panther Ninjetti.

"Yeah." Opening a secure and shielded signal, Mark sent an echo toward the rebel base, hoping they were still there. A few seconds later, the ship picked up on a reply. "Ship's getting something on the communication radar." 

"Bring it up." A holographic screen came up on the window, which also served as a holographic projector and screen. The small holographic window fizzled; small ripples of grey and black crossing it. Then the image of a dark haired man came up, his face lined with stress and hard times. 

"Are you the Ninjetti Sentinels?" The man's voice was rough but clear. They had no doubt this was the leader of the rebellion.

"Yes, we are. I am Araya, Commander of the Sentinels and this is my team." Will motioned at the others to stay at their consoles. "Are we welcomed to your base?"

The man didn't rely as he stared at all of them. "You are all so young." The doubt was clear in his voice as he spoke to them.

"Yes we are but we are the Sentinels nonetheless." Will leaned forward. "We are here to assist you in taking back your planet. If you do not wish our help say so and we will leave." 

"Beam yourself and your team approximately two clicks from the Norte Quadrant of our base. I will meet you there." The screen blanked out.

"Well, that was rude." Mark said as the line was cut from the rebel base. "You know, I have the urge to leave them like that." 

"You can't condemn the planet because the coldness of one man's attitude." Kayla said. 

"We'll leave the ship here with KEYA activated. If there is any movements from the ship, she'll send a signal to the devices that I made that are attached to our belts. Let's go and meet this guy." Will looked at others. This was it; the beginning of their mission.

With flames erupting around them, they teleported to their destination.

(VvVvVvVvV)

Aragon was the fifth leader in his generation and the oldest in all of the rebel's time. He had lost his only son to the craved desires of the lady tyrant of their planet which launched their family to become part of the rebellion they had once scoffed at. His wife had later died of grief after their two daughters had been killed when the rebel base was raided three years after Felix's death. Since then, he had refused to look at another woman, refusing to get close to another ever again.

The men that had come with him were the best in their small army, the sharpest and toughest. Each had more than a decade's worth of hiding from the elite of Adrianna's army, surviving when others had been fatally injured. All of them were hidden in the shadows of the boulders and rocks, the trees towering over them, blending into the environment. 

So he had no idea how the Sentinels had been able to penetrate their lines with ease. 

"So, what are we waiting for?" A voice seemed to melt into his ear, the words floating toward him. Startled, the rebel leader whipped around, dagger flashing in a dangerous arc. Only for his wrist to be grabbed and held in a vice-like grip. "Don't worry, I'm a friend." 

Aragon could see the fine features of the young blonde teen before him, the hazel-green eyes boring back into his. "Where is the rest of your team?"

A second later, the shadows seemed to melt back, the Sentinels now visible to the rebel team. "Do you believe us now?"

"I may have been mistaken about you, Commander. I am Aragon, leader of the rebellion here on Bremen. We should head back the rebel base. Adrianna may have noticed your arrival and sent out search parties to look for you." Aragon gave a low whistle, signaling the march back to the base. The Sentinels seemed to slide in line, blending in the spaces between the men. The group of fighters easily covered the terrain, moving quickly. Within the hour, the group was entering the rebel base. 

The Sentinels gawked as they passed the entrance that was carved into the base of a large tree. The tunnel sloped down into the earth, the walls covered in what looked like concrete. People were hurrying along the halls, most carrying equipment and all with weapons in some form or another. As the Sentinels traveled down, some of the rebels stopped moving, gazing at the new arrivals. 

Will caught snippets of what they were saying.

"_These are the revered Ninjetti Sentinels?"_

"_The war is going to end. We have hope."_

"_They are just kids!"_

_"Do we really expect them to win?"_

"_I hope Aragon knows what he is doing." _

"_The one in orange and silver is a fine woman. Look at her form." _At this, Will searched the crowd. His eye settled on the man with height equal to his own but was packed with more muscle. The man stared back. Will felt Rebekkah move closer to him, her fingers wrapping around his. The man's eyes moved to their clasped hands. Will didn't like the expression that came over the man's face. Will growled but didn't do anything as the group was still moving. They finally came to large wooden doors with guards on either side carrying heavy duty weapons. 

"Clear the room." Aragon ordered as the group entered what resembled a briefing room. The soldiers that had come with him left, closing the doors behind them. 

It had been many years since the rebellion on Bremen had any real hope. Years of tyranny, oppression, and dear had worn down many of the spirits of the natives. Forced to live in the dangerous forests' underground network of tunnels, many believed the time that Adrianna and her dreaded line would be toppled would never come. 

Aragon glanced at the eleven young kids that stood before him, eyes drawn to the map of the Zero Palace. Why would the feared warriors of the Ninjetti send children to do the job of grown men? 

The rebel leader shifted his eyes to the blonde haired boy garbed in blue and black clothing. Aragon could tell the young on had been through terrible experiences that marred his soul. He could see it in the shuttered eyes of the Sentinel Commander, in his restrained movements and clipped tones. "How much did the Master Warrior tell you about what has been going on the past ten thousand years?"

"She has only told us that Adrianna is the descendant of the evil witch Rita Repulsa and added that you have a plan on how to infiltrate her palace." Araya looked at Aragon.

"Yes, we do." The rebel pointed at an area on the southwest corner of the palace. "This area has limited view of the surrounding land and can not be seen properly unless you were looking down from a window in the turret above."

"Do you know where the control room for planet destroyer is?" Malie asked the two.

Aragon's second in command Felid moved, pointing out a blank area in the middle of the map. "We have not been able to determine where the control room for the ship is precisely but we are assuming it is in this area here."

Logan raised an eyebrow as he whistled. "That's a pretty big area for a guess. It almost covers the entire central wing."

"Our agents have not been able to successfully enter that area of the castle." Felid told them.

Araya interrupted. "Are you saying she knows that you've tried to find out the location of the control room?" 

"She has killed a few o our agents." Felid confirmed.

Mazda groaned. "Then she might know of your plan. She would have tortured them for the information before killing them."

"Are there any more of these blank spots?" Rowan asked, seeing where Mazda and Araya were taking this. "Are there other areas your agents haven't been able to get into?"

Felid turned to Aragon. "Do it." The 2IC typed in a few buttons, showing a more detailed 3D image of the palace. The Sentinels could immediately see where there were dark spots. Araya quickly counted six different locations where the control room could be hidden. 

"Do you think she moved the control room somewhere else?" Malie asked Araya. "Or can she be as stupid as her grandmother?"

"She's not like her grandmother." Araya silently reminded them of Adrianna's history. "She'll think things through which means we are going to need teams to search each dark spot."

"We don't have time during the rebellion." Aragon said. "We first must capture Adrianna. She must not be allowed to survive."

"Would you like to sacrifice the lives of the neighboring planet on that?" Araya asked harshly, eyes boring into Aragon's. ""We must first destroy the control room and the destroyer. After we accomplish our objective, we can focus on capturing Adrianna to stand for trial." 

Aragon said nothing for once again his feelings about the Sentinels had interfered with his reasoning. "So how do you suggest we accomplish that?"

Malie pointed at the target wall location. "The Sentinels can help pave the way in this section, setting up shields to keep the way open for as long as possible. Once the contingent is inside, we'll head for the separate locations."

"Five teams will be made of two Sentinels each and I will make the sixth." Will said taking over. "We'll use our skills and abilities to sneak into these areas and check them through. Once the control room has been identified and destroyed, we'll come from behind the palace guards to cage them in the middle." 

Jon tapped on a finger on the table. "Aragon, do you think Adrianna will engage in battle or will she leave?"

Aragon was already shaking his head. "Most likely, she will head to the control room at the first sign of battle. Once she's done her business, she'll lead a force into the fray. She wields powerful magic though not as strong as her grandmother's."

"I like your plan Sentinels but I think the entry can be done better. Once the way is open for us to enter, we'll bring in a couple of explosive and begin creating holes and weak spots in the surrounding walls so the entry point can grow." Felid pointed out.

"But that could kill more of your men." Ariella countered.

"If we do it properly, there won't be any losses." 

_He does sound sure of himself. Malie _sent to Will on their telepathic link. _I wonder how many people have died because of him?_

_We can only make sure we get Adrianna before they resort to that. _Will answered back. "When do you want to begin the attack?"

"We were planning for a midnight attack at the changing of the guards. Tonight." The Sentinels looked at them and then each other. "The sooner she is captured and her reign destroyed the better. Just last night, she raided another town and captured over twenty boys of young age. We wish to spare them the humility of their ordeal. We must capture her." Felid told them in a quiet voice.

Something about the tone hit Will. To him, it sounded like he was begging. _Do you think his son was one of the captured ones?_ Rebekkah sent his way. _He sounds like a grieving father._

_I think you're right, Beck. There's only one thing we can do for him._ "Tonight it is then, Aragon." Will could see the relief over Felid's face.

"Then prepare yourselves, Sentinels. Adrianna will not make this an easy fight for freedom."

"When the hell has it ever been?" Genesis muttered quietly.

(VvVvVvVvV)

Will lay on his stomach. The Sentinel to the right of him, morphed into their stealth uniforms,and the rebel leader on his left. They were sitting on a dark grassy knoll overlooking the Zero Palace; the guards were flickers of shadows against the lights coming from inside the palace. The castle itself looked like the dark reaching hand of a wrenched soul trying to grasp for help from the heavens above.

_Your thoughts are highly cynical_ Toni sent his way. _Shouldn't you be more positive?_

_Sorry._ Will apologized to her.

"Is your team ready, Commander?" Aragon asked his face covered in shadows. "The attack will start soon."

Will could feel the pack filled with explosives resting heavily on his back. "Yeah, we're ready." Each single Sentinel was carrying a similar pack in case they found the control room. Once it was destroyed, any remaining explosives would be used to create chaos in the palace as well as other weak points in the walls surrounding it.

At the pre-arranged signal, the Sentinels followed a scout down the hill. They crouched low, moving in the dips and small crevices as they sped their way to the outer wall. Crouching against the cold stone, Will turned to the scout. "Where's the weak spot?" 

"According to reports, it is this stone here." The scout placed a hand on a block marked with a small scratched circle. 

"Move out of the way." Scott said, moving toward the stone. Placing his hands on the stone, he focused his Power on the earth, bending it to his will. Dust flew from the cracks that were beginning to form on the wall. Then, with a great roar, the stonework exploded inward, littering the courtyard on the other side with debris. 

On the small hill behind them, the small contingent of rebels moved as one, all heading for the opening in the wall. The scout grinned at the Sentinels before climbing over the remains of the wall and engaging the first of the palace guards to arrive.

The Sentinels followed, moving swiftly. They dodged the guards, knocking them out of the way as they headed for the secondary wail. This time, Scott didn't wait. Using a blast of Green Power, he sent a ball of energy hurling at the stone. It gave way, creating a small for the team to go through. Behind them, they heard the first sound of battle as the front line of the rebels hit the wall. 

_Okay, guys, you know the drill. Move out_ Will sent as he took the hall in front of him, heading for the north corner were his assigned dark spot was. The others followed suit, paired up Sentinels heading for their destination. 

_DAMN!_ Mark yelled as he ran into a group of palace guards. He and Toni had pulled their Katanas, dodging weapons and fists. 

_SHIT!_ Will heard Jessie scream as he felt her pain as her body connected with a column. A group of guards had been able to ambush them as they turned a corner. Will was about to turn around and her in their direction when Joseph was telling him to go on. 

_We've arrived at our location._ Gabriel informed Will. _We've started checking rooms but found nothing yet._

_Once you clear your location go and help out Mark._ Will told him as he saw the staircase he needed to take. Grabbing the banister, he jumped over. 

_Roger that._ Came Gabriel's reply.

His instincts told him when his level was coming up. Will reached out, grabbing the banister again, grunting at the pain of the sudden stop. Swinging his leg over, he stepped back onto the staircase. Remembering the map, he headed off down the right hallway. 

There weren't any guards here as Will ran down the pristine white hallway. He slid to a stop before a heavy wooden door. He reached for the door handle, pulling it back with all of his strength. He peeked around the edge of the door. The room was dark, the light from the hallway barely penetrating the darkness within. Drawing his Katana, Will entered.

He took a couple of steps in, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness. With a grin, he opened a link to all of the Sentinels. _I found the control room. I'm going to set the bombs and blow this place up. Head back to the opening and help out Aragon and the rebels._

_Do you think you can take care of it by yourself, Will?_ Dayleen asked on the link, her mental voice sounding strained. At the moment, she was fighting a maid who believed it was up to her to defend the palace of her 'god'. The maid as huge and muscular but Dayleen was giving as good as she got. And the maid was simply getting pissed that the smaller woman was not going down easily.

_Yeah, five minutes tops. Once Adrianna sees the control room destroyed, she'll head to the opening and engage or she might be on her way there. I don't want to take the chance. _Will said as he pulled the pack of his back and onto the floor. He began withdrawing the detonators and explosives.

As he began preparing the detonators, he gazed around the room. There was a single screen, shut down at the moment, set in the floor before him with a single large monitor leaning down from the far wall. Steeps slopes followed the walls down to a lower floor with two rows of screens, blinking with neon-green light. No doubt the single screen was for Adrianna's use. 

Quickly, he slapped a bar of explosives on the main control room. Jogging down to the lower floor, he calculated where he would need to place the explosives for maximum damage. He was just finishing on the main screen when his senses told him to duck. Will rolled to his side as a large bolt of purple energy slammed into the wall, sending slivers of stone outward. 

"You dare to come into my palace, you little slave?" Adrianna was there, dressed in a leather outfit with metal bracelets on her wrists. Her purple hair flowed from her head in wavy lines. She would have been beautiful if not for the ugly sneer on her face. 

"So I guess you would be Adrianna Zero." Will climbed to his feet. The pack with the control to the detonators had slid away into the shadows but was safe for the moment. 

"And you are the Sentinel Commander." Adrianna looked down at him, lavender eyes flashing in hate.

"Wow, one day and I'm already famous." Will watched as she stepped down the slope on the lower floor. As she passed a control screen, she pressed a button. The main screen flickered on, an image of the neighboring planet coming into view, no doubt from the planet destroyer. 

"That bitch of she-devil wasted no time in sending her little pets to do her bidding." Adrianna sighed. "Such a waste of my time and your life." She held her hand out, a glowing sword appearing. "Let's see if she trained you well." 

She settled into an offensive stance, sword at the ready.

Hesitating a moment, Will followed suit, clutching his Katana with both hands. 

Adrianna's eyes glittered dangerously. "Before this duel ends, Commander, one of us will have the pleasure in enjoying the death of the other. I promise you this." Then the glowing sword arced through the air, leaving a line of bright light. 

Will moved his Katana, the Blade itself now glowing a bright blue. 

Air crackled as they met. Adrianna bared her teeth at him in a ferocious grin. "Or maybe, one I defeat you, should I take you to my bed?" She raked her eyes up and down his form. "Your form does me please me."

Will kicked out. Adrianna laughed as she broke the hold. "Sorry but I won't lay with a bitch like you." 

"Oh, but you shall, Commander." Adrianna moved again, sword arcing up. Will parried but then she moved again. The blade of her sword caught his hand, ripping through the material. For a brief second, his scar was visible before the material closed but it was enough.

Will met Adrianna's eyes. "So you my grandmother's Ranger whelp. How interesting." 

**Spyridon- Here's Chapter 10 of EV. Sorry for the late update. Please leave a review. Keeps me going you know. **


	11. Sacrifce of Hiding in a Lie

**REVIEWS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED!**

Chapter Eleven- Sacrifice of Hiding in a Lie

/ (Wake me up) Wake me up inside

(I can't wake up) Wake me up inside

(Save me) Call my name and save me from the dark

(Wake me up) Bid my blood to run

(I can't wake up) Before I come undone

(Save me) Save me from the nothing I've become /

Will looked at the woman before him, staring at her intently. The mission had just gone from bad to worse in the blink of an eye. Dulcea had warned him about letting Adrianna know who he was. Now he had no idea what she was going to do with the knowledge that he was the Sentinel Commander. Of course, it looked like first she wanted him as a sex slave. Will held up his Katana. 

"I wonder what my grandmother would do if she found out that I captured her evil Grey Ranger?" Adrianna began circling him, every now and then hitting his Katana with her sword briefly. "Or should I just capture you and place you under my control? I have heard you made a great evil warrior as you almost single-handedly beat the Rangers were Goldar kept on failing."

"I won't serve evil." Will growled, a black fear rising up in him again. Roughly, he pushed it to the back of his mind, trying not to let it overwhelm him. 

"You won't have a say." Adrianna leaped again, this time attacking with her magic. Slivers of stone flew in the air as twin energy balls slammed on either side. Will brought his Katana just in time to block Adrianna's swipe. He grunted as her feet connected with his stomach, sending him flying backward into the wall. Using his own Power, he knocked her sword out of her hand. She laughed as she conjured up ropes of burning light and flinging him across the other side of the control room. He landed on his head and he slid to a stop at the base of a console. 

Adrianna walked over to him and pulled his helmet off before the pain-induced haze lifted from his mind. 

Pain erupted as Adrianna grasped him by the hair, pulling his head back. He gritted his teeth as she sat on his back, Then without warning, she slammed his head into the ground. "You haven't been trained very well as you think, I see." She slammed his head against the ground again. Will tasted blood in his mouth and his vision was beginning to swim. "What a pathetic way for the Sentinel Commander to perish in his first fight against a villain, don't you think?"

His body froze when he felt Adrianna drift a finger down his side in an unmistakable manner. 

"I wasn't lying when I said I desire you, Commander." Adrianna's voice ghosted over his ear, husky and low. "I wonder what surprises lay under your clothing." 

"I told you before. I won't bow down to your sexual whims." Will grounded out, his heart beating faster, mouth suddenly dry.

"Perhaps that can be changed?" Adrianna grasped the edge of his pants and began to worm her way in. She began rocking against him. "Imagine what it would feel like with you on top, my hands sliding over your hot body?"

Will began panicking, sweat forming on his body. This couldn't be happening, especially on their first mission. He started to struggle, trying to buck off Adrianna. The evil tyrant began to laugh as he struggled helplessly. "GET OFF ME!"

"Just keep struggling, Commander; it is only making me enjoy it more." 

Will thought quickly, what would get her off him? Then an idea came. Will slipped his hand from underneath her knees and placed it on her thigh. A remark came to her lips but instead she shouted in anger and pain as her leg began to suddenly freeze. Her body shifted slightly as she tried to grab for his hand. Using the new found freedom, Will was able to buck her off completely. 

Adrianna landed in an undignified heap away from him. Will flipped to his feet. Picking up his Katana he faced her again. 

"You insolent scrap of filth!" The enraged female screamed, a hand resting on the partially frozen limb. 

"I told you to get off me. I wasn't kidding." Will tightened his grip on the Katana. Now that he was free, pure rage and dark hatred was starting to bubble within Will. Before Adrianna could go on the offensive, this time Will took the first strike. 

Adrianna weaved and dodged, looking for her fallen sword. Seeing he was getting mad, the evil tyrant changed tactics. "Why do you protect the weak? Why fight for their survival? They are nothing but worthless beings in an arena where only the strong and powerful thrive. You should let them all die for the world would be better off without them." The tyrant rolled forward, coming up in a crouch with her retrieved sword in hand.

"I'm not like you, Adrianna. I believe every being has the right to live, regardless of their status." Will dodged to the right as her sword came down on his left. "You have no right dictating the lives of others who deserve to live their life to the fullest."

"I am a goddess. I control more power than what they can hope to ever see." Adrianna summoned another energy sphere, aiming it directly for Will's head. Will knocked aside with one of his. "You can easily become my husband, Commander for you also wield Power and magic beyond what others can wield. You control the element of ice. Your arrack has shown me that." Their swords met again in the air, their powers crackling angrily against each other. "The feeling of having the choice of life and death over them is intoxicating; it is the real power." 

"It is nothing but an illusion, a craved being's delusion." Will kicked out again, catching Adrianna in her leg which was beginning to defrost, thanks to Adrianna's magic. 

"Is it really?" Their swords tangled again. Adrianna leaned in. "What about what you felt when you tortured your friends and family that night under my grandmother's palace, Commander? What about those feeling that rose within you when you whipped them like the dogs they are? Were you not pleased at their suffering?"

(VvVvVvVvV)

Dayleen grunted as her Katana met another guard's blade. "This isn't going well." 

"And who told you that?" Scott replied as he flipped up and back, putting more distance between him and the line of guards rushing him. "How many guards does she have?"

"A lot of them." Dayleen held out a hand, sending a wave of power down the hall, knocking out the rushing guard. _Guys, how are you holding up?_

_Getting our asses kicked apparently._ Grunted Mark. The others quickly replied except for one. 

_Has anybody heard from Will?_ The Sentinels replied in the negative. _Shit. Everyone deal with your guards quickly. We need to head to Will's last position. _That was the last thing before Dayleen had to duck as a guard slammed his pike side ways, barely missing her side. 

(VvVvVvVvV)

Gabriel and Ryan looked at each other at the last order. They were both thinking the same thing. What if Adrianna had caught Will in the act of destroying her control room? 

"Do you think she killed him?" The Serpent Ninjetti asked. 

"I'm trying to think positive here, Scott. Thinking only about the worst things will make worry which in turn, hinder you." Gabriel moved his Katana, slicing through the air. Using the handle, he knocked out a guard. "Plus, Will is a strong fighter. Adrianna will have a fight on her hands." 

Just then, a large explosion sounded through the air as the ground beneath them cracked. Screams sounded through the hallways on the second and first floor, flames licking the outside walls. The two Sentinels looked at each other from their positions on the floor. 

"What they hell was that?" They asked in unison.

(VvVvVvVvV)

"MARK! Where are you!" Toni screamed as she coughed, the air she was breathing a second ago was filled with smoke and dust. She coughed again, her throat burning as she inhaled. "MARK!" 

A boot slammed into her side, throwing her backward. The Badger Ninjetti looked up into the looming face of a palace guard, a pike held high. Then a sphere of Indigo Power caught the guard in the middle, burning and knocking the guard unconscious. 

"Toni?" A slightly singed Mark limped into view, blood darkening his uniform. 

"Mark, are you okay?"

"I don't think so." Toni helped Mark limp behind a statue of one of Adrianna's ancestors. Warning Mark, Toni ripped open his clothes. A large gash had been sliced into Mark's thigh, blood oozing from it. 

"Looks like shrapnel hit you when the explosion went off." She peered closer at the wound. "And I think the shrapnel is still in there." She slid a hand underneath, searching for the exit wound and finding none. "Yup, it's still in there." 

Mark's head fell back. "Great." 

"I call Beck. She's better at this type of wound." _Beck?_

_Yeah, Toni?_

_Mark's injured and the shrapnel is still stuck in there. Do you think you can come down and help us out?_

_Sure. I was planning to leave any way. Be there in a few._

_Thanks._ "She's coming right now."

"What the hell did you think set off the explosion?" Mark grunted, trying not to move his leg anymore then he had to.

"Might be that guy. What's his name? Felid?"

"You don't think he could have waited for us." 

Toni snorted. "He's definitely a pyromaniac."

(VvVvVvVvV)

Groaning, Joseph rolled over, eyes searching for the small Amber and Sun-rose Ninjetti uniform. "Jessie!" 

"I'm here." A voice sounded through the dark grey cloud that was rolling inside. Joseph shook his head. Or rather rolling outside. 

"I think somehow we are on the outside of the castle." 

Jessie tried to clear her head. As she got up, she felt the wet slick grass beneath her hands. "How the hell did we accomplish that? We were heading back to the opening to help out the rebels." 

"I think the explosion relocated us." Joseph looked up, seeing the huge hole that was now carved into the stone walls of the palace. "Yeah, that's a big hole." The opening was over two storied wide as it was tall. The two Sentinels could see the levels were fighting was taking place. 

_Day?  
_

_Yeah, Joseph?_

_Jessie and I are now on the outside of the palace. Looks like we got relocated after the explosion._

_Are you guys alright?_

_Bruised, cut but otherwise fine. Do we have anyone hurt?_

_Mark. Right now, Beck's on her way to him. We haven't heard back from Will._

A gasp behind him broke Joseph out of the telepathic link. He turned around to see Jessie facing the other way, face pale, a hand near her mouth. "Jessie?"

Without a word, the Squirrel Ninjetti just pointed at the area underneath the wall. Confused, the Mustang Ninjetti looked over the edge. What he saw almost made him throw his dinner over the side. 

(VvVvVvVvV)

Dayleen frowned. Joseph had cut off the connection all of a sudden, and with Will missing, it was making her worry. _Joseph? Are you guys alright?_

She breathed a sigh of relief when Joseph replied back. _We're alright._ Something about his tone of voice brought up her concern even higher than before. 

_Joseph, what's wrong?_

_We just found a mass grave, Dayleen. It looks like the pictures of those Nazi concentration camps over here. Some of them are pretty old and are already beginning to decompose._

_Get out of there. Head back to where Mark and Toni are. Beck should be there by now._ Dayleen ordered, now worried about Joseph and Jessie's state of mind after seeing that. This mission was surely going to hell.

(VvVvVvVvV)

Rebekkah ran. 

When Dayleen had told her Mark had been injured, she had naturally assumed the worse. Will wasn't responding to the telepathic calls Dayleen and her were sending. Either he might not be hearing their calls or he was dead. And she didn't want to think about the latter. 

She skidded around a corner, eyes searching for Toni. Seeing them behind the statue, she quickly made her way across the debris-covered hall. "How's he doing?" 

"Pretty well for a guy with a piece of shrapnel stuck in his leg." Toni replied. 

Rebekkah uncovered the wound. "Yeah, it's still in there." The Tiger Ninjetti looked at Mark, seeing him looking at her with some fear in his eyes. "It's going to hurt but it should heal more quickly."

"What exactly are you going to do?"

"I'm going to dig it out." 

"Huh, WHAT!" 

"I'm going to dig it out. You better not move or I might cut a major artery." Rebekkah reached for her Tanto, her face settling into a grim expression. "When I thought I wanted to be a doctor, I thought was going to be in a hospital."

"That's not making me feel better." Mark grounded out.

"This for sure won't." Toni muttered. 

"Here we go." Rebekkah slowly moved the blade into Mark's leg, following the ragged wound to where the piece of metal was stuck. Using it like a lever, she tried as gently as she could to push back through the wound. Tears were beginning to fall from Mark's face as he tried to keep quiet. "Almost there man. You're doing well."

"Hurts like fuck." He groaned, a small whimper escaping him. "God, it hurts!" Finally with a slimy pop, the steel appeared. Using the tips of her fingers, Rebekkah picked up the piece and brought it up to her face. 

"Looks like it was clean as it went in, no poison or anything." 

"Thank god." Mark collapsed against Toni. "Shit." 

"How come you didn't use that move that Will did when that piece of stone was stuck in your back?" Toni asked as Beck placed her hand over the wound.

"Because it would drain me of all my power and probably sent me into a coma as I yet don't have the experience. Will's lucky as he had three possible avenues the healing could draw Power from. I have only two." Slowly, the edges of Mark's wound began to close. "The more practice I have with healing, the less Power-consuming it becomes." The wound disappeared completely, only leaving a faint scar. "And of course, there won't be any scars." 

"Thanks, Beck." Mark said. 

"No problem." Now the only Rebekkah had to worry about was where was Will?

(VvVvVvVvV)

Adrianna was winning the battle. She had way more experience with using the magic she wielded along with her swordsmanship. Will wasn't a fighter at heart like Jason or Tommy. He didn't know what he was doing here. He wasn't a warrior.

Will grunted as another magic sliver hit its mark on his upper arm. He was bleeding from a dozen wounds spread over his body. The Ninjetti healing was starting to kick in by numbing the pain. 

A hand flashed out. Will turned away even as the long sharpened nails raked his cheek, one digging in painfully. Blood began oozing from the cut, dripping off his cheek. 

"You're slow, Commander. Why did that witch choose you as the leader of the Sentinels if you once served evil?" She taunted, weaving back and forth.

"I never served it willingly. I was forced to do the things I did against my will." The Wolf Ninjetti let loose another energy sphere. Adrianna once again moved, the sphere flying over her leg. "Your reign will end tonight." 

"How can you be so sure? For ten thousand years, the natives of this planet have tried in getting rid of my family line. What makes you think you will succeed?"

"Faith. Hope." Will bent back as Adrianna's sword flew overhead. 

"And that is all you have." Adrianna twisted around, sword coming in from beneath.

Will jumped, back-flipping with his Katana in hand. "I have more than you know." 

"A delusion of trying to redeem yourself in your own eyes? The chance to show to your friends that you are really not evil?" Adrianna laughed. "They will never forgive you, Commander. You have fallen from redemption forever. There is nothing you can do that will clean the stain upon your soul. And the longer you try, the longer you shall fail."

"I won't fail." Will thrusted out, catching Adrianna on the waist. 

Adrianna gave a laugh before she parried, knocking Will's Katana to the side. She then snap-kicked Will in the groin, catching him unawares. Following up, she drove her knee into his face as he crouched over in pain. 

"Oh, you will fail, Commander." Summoning her magic, she grabbed hold of him and threw him back. He grunted as he connected with the stone wall. With a smile, Adrianna walked to the main console on the lower floor. "You see, you don't have the audacity to kill another being regardless of their actions. You are still that lost little boy that my grandmother kidnapped to use in her goals, with no power to change the course of your history." Adrianna flicked the cover on the console, uncovering the button that would the end the lives of thousand of Romaine's citizens. 

During her speech, Will had climbed to his hands and feet, vision blurred. Her words hadn't been able to penetrate the dark fog that had fallen on his mind, overlapping the red-tinged mist from the pain. All he could think about was the fact that if he didn't do something soon, more people were going to die. His hand drifted to his belt, unsheathing the Tanto. He clambered to his feet, eyes focused on Adrianna whose back was turned to him. 

He wasn't going to fail. 

He wasn't going to break his promise.

She had to be taken down.

Will moved, a black and blue flash, across the lower floor.

Adrianna sensed him.

She started to turn.

Blood splattered across the glowing screen.


	12. God Save the Eyes That Dim Tonight

Chapter Twelve- God save the Eyes that Dim Tonight

/ Bring me to life

(I've been living a lie, there's nothing inside)

Bring me to life /

They say when you kill another individual your entire outlook on life will change. They never said how or in what way it will; only that it will change and once done, you can never go back to the innocence of before it happened. That child-like innocence will be forever lost along with that particular outlook on life.

When his mom had been killed in the car accident, it had changed a little. The world became a little greyer, the light a little darker, the wind a little colder. But it was still the same world. His innocence had been shaken but wasn't destroyed. .

Before Rita had appeared, he believed he would never be placed in the position of killing another being, would never have to go through the trauma of seeing someone's life slip because of your actions.

Of course, Rita did happen.

Everything he was secure in was now gone and his life was forever changed.

He distantly watched as Adrianna's eyes seemed to glaze over with shock and triumph in the lavender depths as her head tilted back on his shoulder. The hand that been stretched out to the button that would activate the planet destroyer now hung limply at her side.

Warmth.

Her head covered where his hand was pressed tightly to the back of her neck, the Tanto still grasped firmly in hand. The Wolf Ninjetti could feel as her still warm blood spilled from the wound, over his hand to drip on to the floor below.

Will gazed into her eyes for any signs of life but he knew she was gone.

She was dead and he was the cause for it.

He had taken someone else's life. Bile began to rise in his throat, the instinct to turn and vomit almost overpowering.

"NOOO!!"

Startled, he looked up.

Standing on the higher floor was a boy of around the age of seventeen. From where he stood, Will could see the bright white hair and furious, grieving grey eyes. The eyes widened in fear as he saw that the Sentinel Commander was looking at him. The figure turned and fled through the open doors.

Will withdrew the Tanto from Adrianna's corpse, sliding it back into its sheath. Searching fast, he picked up his Katanas and the detonator. Entering the hallway, he didn't see the teenager any more. Pushing the thought of the boy to the back of his mind, Will headed for the stairs, running two steps at a time. His body was still in pain but it was nothing compared to the growing chasm in his soul, the numbness that was settling in his spirit.

He ran.

His legs began to burn from the ascent upward at such a fast pace.

He has just killed a living being without thought. His steps sounded in the halls of the first story. Flipping open the detonator, he pressed the button.

Three stories beneath him, the resounding boom sounded, the palace shaking.

_WILL! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!_

_Dayleen? _Even to his mind, he sounded dazed and confused.

_Thank god, you're alright. We've been worried sick about you._

_Is everyone okay?_

_Now we are. For some reason, all of the palace guards have stopped fighting. It's weird._

_Make sure you keep an eye on them. If it's a trick, I don't want us to be caught off guard. I'm coming over right now._ Will continued to run, refusing to stop even though his legs burned.

Will entered the ruined hallway. Bodies littered the floor where the rebels and palace guards had fallen. The rebels were herding the confused guards to a spot against the wall, making sure all available weapons were taken from them. The Sentinels stood by, Mark leaning on Joseph and Ryan. Will could see the Mustang and Squirrel Ninjetti were rather pale.

"Is it over?" Will asked them, watching as another group of guards appeared, hands behind their head.

Aragon and Felid appeared at Will's side. "It is over. Felid, make sure all of the guards are placed in a secure area where they won't be able to escape or rebel. And send word to the camp that we have succeeded." His second in command smiled then ran to the nearest messenger.

"I need to check the rest of my team back at the ship. Once we are rested and sorted, we will come back to provide assistance." Will slid his Katanas back, gazing at the rebel leader.

"Of course. Perhaps later we can get together at another meeting." Will began to head to where Dayleen and the rest were. "Commander?" Will looked back at Aragon. "Perhaps, I was wrong about the Sentinels. You have helped us accomplish a goal that has eluded us for so long. I am grateful."

"We came to see that your people live free. We can only hope everything will work out well." Will bowed slightly then left.

_Dayleen?_

_We made it out alive. Some of us have spectacular bruises._

_Teleport back to the ship. I want Mark checked out as soon as possible._

_That's for sure. _Dayleen frowned. _Will, what happened to Adrianna? She didn't appear._

_I'll tell you guys later at the briefing with Dulcea.  
_

_Okay._

Will shook his head, eyes drifting to Rebekkah. Her shoulders where slumped, body weary of the fighting. Same with Mark and Toni. He couldn't see their faces as he told them not to de-morph until they were back on the ship. Will's hand moved to the bloody Tanto still sheathed. He would have to make sure it was cleaned later so no one would see the blood on it.

(VvVvVvVvV)

Rebekkah eased Mark on to the med-table with help from Toni who hovered by like a worried mother. "Does it still hurt, Mark?"

"Just not as bad as before." Mark winced as Beck prodded the area.

"The membrane is still holding. I'll give you a little painkiller. It should keep the pain at bay until we get back to Dulcea."

"Why don't you just knock me out?" Mark groaned flopping back with a sigh.

"That can be arranged." Toni pulled a chair over, sitting down at Mark's side. "I'll keep you company. Though, one little remark about you-know-what, I will leave your ass here."

Beck chuckled. "Already keeping him in line?"

"I have to. Otherwise he'll grow a big head." The girls laughed as the wounded man gave another groan.

(VvVvVvVvV)

Closing the door, Will demorphed, keeping the Blades on his back. Stepping inside the bathroom, he turned on the water. Unsheathing the Tanto, he ran it under the water, watching the blood swirled around the basin until it finally disappeared into the pipe. But in his mind's eye, Adrianna's blood still stained the blade, taunting him about the deed he had done.

Suddenly, he couldn't take in air, his throat constricting with emotion. Falling to his knees, he grasped at the edge of the sink, head bowed.

He had just killed a person. A living breathing individual without a single thought.

Was he worthy of being the Sentinel Commander?

Was he still worthy of being Rebekkah's boyfriend?

(VvVvVvVvV)

Rebekkah watched as the families and the now freed guards were finally reunited after years of service. Many of the rebels had believed the guards were faking their condition so they wouldn't be punished by Rebekkah had take n a couple of them up to _Reckoning_ for a check up. The test results had revealed that all of them had been under a spell. The only good thing was that none of them knew what had happened during their time under the spell.

The Sentinel of Love watched as a small girl around eight years old, dressed in a cleaning girl's clothing rush toward a ragged young couple who were crying controllably.

Jessie sat down next to Beck, her face covered in smudges of dirt and grime. Beck turned to her. "Imagine having your child taken from you one day and not being able to know what happened to him or her for three years? I don't think I would have been able to survive that. I would have gone after the bastards that took them."

"I feel the same way, Beck. But at least all of them now have a future." A cry from the crowd brought their attention back to the reunions. One of the boys was now on the ground shaking his head from side to side as what looked like an elderly person bending over them with tears in his eyes. From the wisps of the yells and screams fluttering toward them, the two Sentinels guessed the boy had been told of his parents' deaths under Adrianna's hand.

"This sucks." Jessie muttered, her eyes shifting to look at the ground beneath her feet. "Stupid witch. Why couldn't she have died in childbirth?"

"Things don't go we want them to. How's the work on the water mill?"

"Going pretty fast as the rebels are helping to build it. Like I know how to engineer a working water mill to pump water from the swamps, clean them, and run it to the empty reservoir in the middle of the city. Thank god, the aqueducts are reasonably intact."

"When are the engineers from the sister planet going to come?"

"Right now, they are asking volunteers who will then be trained for a week in leadership and rehabilitation of a stricken community. So maybe next week, they'll be here,

"So they have a chance." Jessie nodded. Rebekkah leaned back, watching the crowed once more.

(VvVvVvVvV)

Aragon watched the young Commander as he watched the rebels slowly pulling the bodies in the mass graveyard out one by one to be identified, prepared for burial, and buried. Even though he was a hundred yards from the edge of the mass grave, Aragon could still smell the distinct stench of decaying flesh.

Araya was quiet.

Too quiet.

Something had happened to him during the battle and he had a guess at what had happened to make him so. Sighing mentally, the rebel leader walked up to the Sentinel Commander. "Thank you for helping us."

"Your welcome." Araya didn't shift his eyes, still watching the men who were now pulling out the body of young child.

"When I was young, I had the life I wanted; a smart loving wife who's beauty surpassed many, three daughters and a son, a home, and my own land. At that time, life couldn't have been better." Araya's eyes landed on him, questioning the point of this conversation. Aragon ignored him. "But then one day, Adrianna destroyed that when she came and took my soon from me. I vowed to bring me son back to my family. One of the rebels came to me saying they would help me achieve it if I joined them. We all did, hoping to get Damien from her. For a year, we lived among the rebel bases, searching for any sign or news of my young son. Then we learned he had been killed for his disobedience. My wife fell into depression. One day, all of our daughters were killed when one of the bases came under attack. My wife soon died after that, the grief too much for her. I on the other hand, lived."

"But it was not life in the purest sense of the word. No, it was rather a dark version of life as I only lived to take as many of the guards' lives as possible, killing as many as I could when I fought. I had lost the will to live but yet, I refused to die. When the leader was killed, I took his position because of what I had become. I was no longer that man who was filled with happiness and love. I was now a rebel who was filled with vengeance and hatred for Adrianna. There many times when I thought I was slicing her throat open. The joy I felt even from imagining it."

Finally, Araya spoke. "And there's a point to this?"

"Yes, Commander." Aragon's eyes bored straight at him. "I know you killed her. That is the reason why she did not show up doing the battle. Do not deny it."

"I don't."

"Do not deny that you killed her in the defense of these people." Aragon gestured to the rebels, to the ones who were building the water mill, to the children huddled together across the courtyard. "It is for them you took her life. You did not so just because you could. You did it because you had to."

"What is the difference? I still killed her. The end result is the same."

Aragon shook his head. "You are so focused on the deed itself that you have forgotten the why. And that is the difference between you and me, Commander. Whereas I would have don it, I would have done so in pleasure, in pure vengeance for what she has pulled me and my family through. But you on the other hand, did so for the need of others. The end result would have the same but the drive to do so are complete opposites of each other."

Araya shifted his eyes toward the grave again. He had still not been swayed. "Commander, you continue thinking this way, you will be destroyed completely. I know because I went through it. And when you have been broken, you will leave your comrades and mate open to attack." Aragon walked away.

Araya only glared after him. He turned back to the bodies still being taken out. He didn't see when Aragon turned back to look at him. No did he hear what the rebel leader said.

"May God save the eyes that dim tonight."

(VvVvVvVvV)

The Sentinels appeared on _Dead Reckoning_, tired, hungry, and wanting to forget the past three days. They had stayed helping to make the guards didn't rebel or that the hard work would have gone to waste. Romaine's governments had been told also the fall of Adrianna's reign; that no more would the people of Bremen live under fear. Food had been rationed out until new farms were made and the harvest planted. There was only one thing left to do.

Destroy the ship still drifting in space; Adrianna's only physical legacy.

"Gabriel, Ryan, bring _Reckoning_'s weapons to bear. Fire when ready." Will softly ordered.

"Bringing weapons to bear. Target locked. Firing." The booms from the cannons and laser arrays lit up the surrounding space. Explosions ripped through the dark hull, tearing the ship apart. _Reckoning_ continued to fire on the blackened remains until they were small enough to burn up in the atmosphere of Romaine.

"KEYA, report."

"Sensors have detected nothing out of the ordinary, Commander. The battle ship has been destroyed." The AI said, her hologram gazing at them.

"We can go back to Phaedos then." Will sat down in his seat. "Kayla."

"Gotcha." Kayla checked to see everything was working with the hyperspace engines. Seeing nothing, she initiated the jump. The star field distorted as the ship and her crew entered hyperspace.

(VvVvVvVvV)

Rebekkah knocked on Will's door. Ever since they had left that god-forbidden planet, Will had looked himself away in his quarters, refusing to come out. Now that the others were asleep, Beck gathered her courage to talk to him. Stuffing the feelings of warning down, she opened the door.

The light from the hallway spilled into the pitch black room. Tension was thick in here, almost like a physical presence. "Will?"

"What do you want?" His voice seemed to drift from every part of the room. But the thing that hit Beck especially hard was the fact that it sounded just like the voice he used when they first meet; distant, ice-cold.

"I want to talk to you."

"About what exactly?"

"The reason why you're staying away from the rest of us." Beck was still trying to find him as the light didn't reach all the way across the room.

"I don't want to talk about it." Something shifted right in front of her on the other side of the bed. She stepped closer and finally saw him sitting on the floor, face turned toward the open window.

"Yes it is. The others are worried about you, Will. You can't be this distant toward them. We all need each other to get through his mission. Joseph and Jessie aren't talking as much nor are they smiling much. You have to talk to them."

"How can you expect me to talk to them when I can't even help myself." Will said, still refusing to look at her.

"What's eating you?" Beck reached out to touch him. She quickly withdrew her hand when she saw him flinch at her touch. "Tell me, Will."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because then you'll all hate me for what I had to do." The certainty in his voice worried her. What had happened during the battle? It had to be bad to make him shut down so quickly.

"No, I won't, Will. Tell me."

"Just leave me alone."

"Will-"

"Just fucking leave me ALONE!" Will screamed, jumping to his feet. Startled, Beck fell backward, hitting her back against the post of the bed. Hurt, she stood up. She tried again to talk to him. "I don't want to talk about it, Rebekkah. Just because you're my girlfriend doesn't mean you get special privileges into my fucking life! GET OUT!" The words cut right into the Sentinel of Love. Crying openly, she left.

Chest heaving, Will looked after her, staring at the closed door. At least she was safe from him. If he was going to fall, he didn't want to take her or any of the other Sentinels down with him.

**Spyridon- Here's the next chapter of EV. Just for those who read Guardians in the Night, that story has been completed. I'm still working on the basis for Immortal Evanescence so you'll have to look out for that one. Just a hint. Chapter 14 of EV is going to be good. :D**


	13. Fear Is How I Fall

**REIVEWS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED!**

**Chapter Thirteen- Fear is How I Fall**

"Kayla, have you noticed that Beck has been very quiet since we've arrived?" Jessie questioned the Fox Ninjetti as they sat on the Bridge. "She barely talks and she hasn't even said one single word to Will."

The Sentinels had just arrived at Phaedos, _Dead Reckoning_ in the hanger bay with her engines off. They were going through post mission checks to see if anything had gone wrong. Right now, the other Sentinels were checking the rest of the battle cruiser for anything out of the ordinary.

Kayla ran a hand through her hair. "I have a feeling that something terrible happened while we were fighting. Will seems like the stranger we first met when we came here two years ago."

"I got that feeling too." The Serpent, Mustang, and Osprey Ninjetti entered the Bridge, having finished their checks in their sections.

Ryan shifted slightly. "Last night, I ws heading back to my room when I saw Beck leaving Will's quarters. She was so distraught that she didn't see me when she entered her room."

"Last night?" Jessie gasped.

"It looks like they had a fight or something and a big one at that. I didn't know what to do." Ryan shrugged his shoulders.

"Do you think Beck confronted Will about what was bothering him? I mean she's his girlfriend and all." Scott looked at the others.

"Which could have been the reason why they fought and Rebekkah left crying; Will might have been angry that Beck tried to see what was happening with him?" Kayla thought out loud.

"Should we call him on it?"

"No, it might make it worse." Dayleen entered the room with the others. "Will went to go check the battle tower. He won't be back for another few moments. Beck is still checking out the infirmary."

"Will's been very distant toward all of us, more so toward Rebekkah." Jessie said, rubbing her hands together. "Do you think that he still believes that we will all leave him?"

"I believe so. His life long friends and family left him to Rita. That must have impacted his trust so deeply that he now believes to his core that all the people in his life will leave him one or another." Gabe leaned against the console. "It might take years for him to get over it, assuming he can get over it at all."

No one responded to his comment as at that moment, Beck stepped on to the Bridge. She saw them looking at her or with some, trying not to look at her guiltily. "What?"

Kayla and Jessie looked at each then at Dayleen who sighed. "Beck, we've all noticed that something's up with you and Will. It obviously affected you so much that you are quieter than usual. What went wrong last night?"

Beck's gaze shifted to the ground. "Nothing went wrong." None of the Sentinels believed her as her tone told them everything. "Will was. . . ." Beck drifted off, shrugging her shoulders.

"Was more what? Cold? Distant? Confrontational?" Scott supplied.

"I had noticed that Will wasn't talking to any of you guys so I went to his quarters last night so we could talk it out. But when I tried to make him talk, he exploded. He said that just because I was his girlfriend that I didn't special privileges with him and that I didn't have the right to pry into his life." Beck was openly crying now, tears running down her cheeks. "He was harsh, unlike the past four months."

"It has do with whatever happened during the mission." Dayleen stated. "He wasn't like this before hand." The other Sentinels remained silent as Jessie and Toni were trying to comfort Beck. They were still quiet when Will walked into the room. Immediately the tension mounted.

The Wolf Ninjetti saw the ice cold stare he was getting from almost everyone. But the one that quickly sent his anger rising was the tear tracks on Beck's face. His voice was low and cold as he spoke. "So I guess you ran to them and spilled out everything?"

"Of course she did!" Mark replied, stepping in front of Will. "She just wanted to see why you weren't talking. All she wanted to do was help you, man."

"That's my problem, not hers or yours." Will didn't back up, standing in front Mark. "How I handle my own shit is none of your fucking business."

"And now it's back to the bad ass attitude?" Ryan scornfully said. "We're supposed to be a team, Will. Team members care for each other and make sure we don't hurt our friends! And what ever happened between you and the Rangers won't happen here!"

Will laughed bitterly. "That's just what they said before all this fucking happened and look what happened. I was left alone to fend for myself."

"We're not the Rangers, Will. You can't compare us to them." Gabe said. "We all want to help you but you're making it worse if you keep fighting us every step of the damn way."

"Like you can help me? What do you know about getting over KILLING SOMEONE?" Will shouted at them. "That's what you want to know, right? That I'm the one who killed Adrianna in cold blood. That I severed her spinal cord with her back turned? Is that what you want to know?" Gasps sounded around the room as Scott's eyes widened in shock. "You wanted to know. You wouldn't just let it rest."

"What is going on here?" Dulcea appeared, staff in hand with Ninjor right behind her. Her gaze moved from a steaming Will to the others with shocked expressions. "Dayleen, what has occurred on the mission?"

"We went and helped free Bremen from Adrianna's control. In the process though, she was killed in battle." Dayleen reported, wondering if she should tell them that Will was the one who delivered the killing blow.

"William?"

"Adrianna's dead." He bit out, still glaring at the other Sentinels.

"And what is the cause of the disturbance?"

"Oh they just found out that I was the one who killed her in cold blood. They wouldn't let it rest." Will replied coldly, leaning against the doorjamb. "The rebels are happy that they got their freedom back and won't have to worry about the witch appearing to kill them all."

"William." Dulcea admonished. Thinking, she knew this situation would have to be fixed and quickly or the team was going to break apart. "Commander, I wish to speak with you privately in the Deck. Ninjor, talk to the rest of the Sentinels." Without another word, Dulcea led William to the Commander's Deck.

Ninjor turned to the remaining Sentinels. "Is there anything else we should know about?"

Jessie sat down in one of the Bride chairs, head on her hands. "We also saw the mass graves where Adrianna got rid of her victims. Last night, I had nightmare. I couldn't sleep."

"Either did I." Joseph admitted to the Ninja Master. "All I could keep thinking about were their dead face, their glazed eyes looking at me."

"Have you talked to anyone about this?" Ninjor asked the two Ninjetti. They shook their heads no. "You will need to talk to someone else as you can not afford to keep it within you. If you do so, it will tear you apart from the inside out."

"We'll try, Ninjor. I have never seen or experienced this before." Joseph told him honestly.

Ninjor gave a small sad smile. "And it will not be the last, I'm afraid, Joseph. As the Ninjetti Sentinel, you will be shown the worst of what the universe will have to offer, seeing the evil side of all living beings and seeing them at their worst. There will be times where you will feel that all you've been fighting for is a lost cause. But you must see that where ever there is shadow and the death of light, hope will prosper in the tiniest of flames. As Sentinels, you must be there to make sure that small light does not die for once it does, all the fighting and all the sacrifices you have been will then be for naught." His words impacted all them, showing in their bowed heads and slumped shoulders, the weigh of their mantles pressing down on their already weary souls.

Within the Commander's Deck, Dulcea was watching the leader of the Sentinels as he gazed out the window. "William, why are you pushing them away?"

For a long minute, Will didn't answer, watching the stars as they continued to shine in the darkness of space. Like a many hundreds of lone beacons in the uncertainty of eternal time. His determination to distance himself strengthened. "They will know who I really am. Just because I now bear the mantle of the Sentinel Commander doesn't mean I have changed from being the Grey Ranger to the Sentinel of Courage. I still killed someone in cold blood. And if I did it once, what will stop me from doing it again?"

Dulcea's fingers drummed against the polished wood of her staff. "William, there was a reason why you were chosen as the Sentinel Commander. What happened to you as the Grey Ranger made you into the warrior you are today. Yes, you did kill someone but it was not in cold blood as you think it was. It was in the defense of a civilization, the lives of millions hanging in the balance. Why can you not see that?"

Will slammed a fist into the window, the colored shock wave spreading through the force field. "Adrianna was Rita's descendent. Sure many generations from then to now but still, Rita's blood ran through her veins. I killed her because of what her grandmother did to me. I placed all of Rita's evil wrongdoings and laid them at Adrianna's feet. How can I be an effective Commander if I let my emotions control what I do?"

"You are human, William. No one is perfect. I believe that you did what you had to do." Dulcea was getting frustrated within. William was not listening to her. "She was about to kill innocent beings and if you had not been there, she would have succeeded. If she had been able to leave the battle alive, she would have come and completely destroy Bremen along with Romaine. She would have given them all death."

Will still shook his head. Dulcea sighed. "I will need to go and talk to Ninjor about what will happen within the next few days. Go and rejoin the other Sentinels." William left, heading down. A second later, Ninjor was at the opening to the Commander's Deck.

"William was not swayed by your words, sister?"

"No, he wasn't. He steadfastly believes he is in the wrong when he killed Adrianna. He will not listen."

"Perhaps they need a break? None of the Sentinels have seen their families in two years. They need to take a break from all this."

Dulcea moved to the window where Will had been before. "They can not be gone long. Already, the Eltarian Council is planning to send them to another planet to help the natives there to prevent a mass slaughter."

"Maybe only a few days, Dulcea. This mission has already affected them emotionally and mentally. You can not send William in this state. It could bring harm to one of the other Sentinels or even to himself. They must have the cohesion they had when they left."

"Of course, Ninjor, you are right. A week would be sufficient then?"

"Yes, just for them to rest and bond with their families. William will also need to seek help and support from those he would call friends."

"Ninjor, go and tell them they will be given a temporary leave. If they wish to spend on Earth, they can do so. But remind they will be sent back out there."

"As you wish, Dulcea." The Master Warrior spun her staff once before teleporting back to her quarters to speak with the Council. Ninjor walked back to the Bridge, noticing it was still quiet. "Sentinels." Their heads came up, giving him their attention. "Dulcea and I have come to the decision that you will be given a break of seven days in your time. You can spend that time on Earth with your respective families."

Ryan sat up straighter in his chair. "We can go back to Earth?"

"Yes. Due to the circumstance, we thought it best that you can all recollect yourselves before heading back out there on another mission so soon after this one."

"For a whole seven days?" Jessie wondered.

"Yes. But remember that the missions could be as bad or even worse than this last mission. We all hope that you can find yourselves again before the next one."

"Are you going to tell us what our next mission will be?"

"No, as we do not have all the facts and reports on the situation. When you come back, we will tell you then."

"Who cares about that mission right now! Let's go back to our parents and families!" Gabriel shouted.

"Ninjor, if that's okay with Dulcea. I rather drop them off on Earth and come back here." William stated quietly, his gaze boring into the Ninja Master's. "My family won't accept me back into their arms so I have nothing to go back there for."

Ninjor's gaze hardened. "I am sorry William. But I think it is better that you go back to Earth with them. You need to find yourself and I believe that you won't be able to do it here."

Beck spoke, her voice small and quiet, not like her usual warm and gentle tones. "Will, you can come to my home. I'm sure my parents will understand." Will snorted at that, still refusing to look at her.

Day glared at him. "Or I can drag your sorry ass to mine, Will. I'm not going to be having you stay for the entire seven days up here on _Dead Reckoning_."

"You can all work that out as you head back to Earth." Ninjor stated. "We will see you then." The Ninja Master left, noting the atmosphere still had not changed.

(VvVvVvVvV)

Dulcea landed in her spartan quarters. She knew the reason why William was distancing himself. He was afraid that the others would abandon him like the others and he wasn't willing to risk it. He couldn't. In his mind, he truly believes that if anyone came to love him remotely, they would soon find out the real him and leave him, disgusted at the person he was. It was a fear that was unfounded and caused by an evil being. William must get over it soon and implicitly trust the others as well as loving them without reservation. If he didn't find himself soon, his fears of abandonment could possible cause him to fall and with it, the deaths of the Sentinels.

(VvVvVvVvV)

Rebekkah walked up to her house.

During the whole ride here to Earth, Will had talked to none of the Sentinels who were giving him a wide berth at the moment. The last time Beck had seen him, she had gone up to his quarters the moment before she teleported near her home. He had refused to come out, saying he was feeling tired. In her mind, she knew that he didn't want to come down at all. If she didn't get him down by tomorrow morning, she was going to have to tell Dayleen.

It had been four hours and forty two minutes when they arrived on Phaedos after their fist mission. Four hours and six minutes since they left for Earth. Seven minutes since they've arrived at Earth. About a minute before she knocked on the door of her home.

It felt like forever since she had been taken by Ninjor to Phaedos that night. Two years had passed since then though in real time, it had only been two days, another five for the mission and their return. Still, she expected to see subtle changes in the appearance of her home. Maybe the lawn a little drier; the cars a little rustier. But everything looked the same; from the white trimmings to the well kept lawn. She stepped onto the porch, gathering herself for the emotional stress ahead.

Taking in a breath, she knocked on the heavy oak door.

She waited for a minute.

Just as she was about to knock again, the door opened slightly, a puffy red eye appearing. Then, it was swung open with incredible force as her mom threw her arms around her. "Rebekkah!"

The Tiger Ninjetti returned the hug burying her face into her mom's shoulders. "God, I've missed you so much, mom."

The happy woman withdrew. "Where have you been? You've been gone for over a week."

"It's a really long story." Rebekkah heard as her dad finally came out, surprise and joy in his face.

"Rebekkah?"

"It's me dad. I'm home."

"Oh, god. I thought something happened to you." Her dad pulled her into a hard hug. "When you didn't come down for breakfast I checked and saw you gone. We've been calling your friends to where you might have gone."

"You wouldn't have found me anyway." Seeing her parents' look, she sighed. "It's part of the story. Let's go inside." Following her parents, she noticed her siblings' absence. "Mom, dad, where are Daniel and Sandra?"

"They are out looking for you. I'll give them a call." Her mom moved to the kitchen where one of the phones was. Rebekkah followed her dad into the living room. Rebekkah sat on her favorite spot near the window after she closed the blinds to block out the sunlight and any person wanting to peek in, her dad settling into the large ottoman. Her mom came back, still smiling. "They said they'll be back in five minutes. They were already on the way home for lunch."

"We'll just wait for them then." Rebekkah said. "I want them to know what's going on."

The three waited until finally they heard the engine of the Ford Explorer pulling into the driveway. The next second two people dashed into the living room, their gaze immediately falling onto Beck.

"SIS!" Rebekkah almost fell back as her brother and sister ran into her.

"Where the hell have you been?" Daniel asked, not knowing whether to be angry or happy.

"Daniel, Sandra, sit down as Rebekkah said she has a story to tell us." Their father ordered, doing a happy dance inside at seeing all three of his children safe and sound at the moment. The twins obediently sat down, close to Rebekkah. Her dad nodded at her to start.

"There's no real easy way to say this so I'll start at the beginning." Rebekkah drew in a breath. "The night I disappeared, I was awakened when I heard someone in my room. I though it was you Daniel, pulling a prank on me again. Then I noticed that person was bulkier than you. I realized he was wearing some sort of blue armor." Seeing her dad's look, she answered his question. "No, it wasn't Goldar. Rather it was a warrior from another planet."

"What?" The four voices came. Rebekkah motioned for them to calm down.

"His name was Ninjor from the planet Phaedos. He had come to me, saying that he believed I was one of the members of fighting team kind of like the Rangers but more elite. I kind of agreed and suddenly I was with another nine people in some sort of chamber. Ninjor led us down to a dining hall where a woman was waiting for us. Ninjor went to get another person whose name was Will then the woman introduced herself as Dulcea, the Master Warrior of the planet of Phaedos. After a misunderstanding, we went to bed. Early the next day, we went through a ceremony where we received our Animal Spirits which mine was a Tiger. Dulcea sent us to a temple on the planet to see if we were eligible to enter training to be a Ninjetti Sentinel which I'll explain later. We got through it and we received our Crests."

"What's yours?" Daniel asked.

"Mine is the Crest of Love." Rebekkah rolled her eyes as her brother snickered. "Not in that way, you moron. Anyway, we started training under Dulcea and Ninjor. Mind you, for us, the first two days were actually two years because somehow the time on the planet was warped or something. Then our training was finished. We got a call to go to a planet in need. That's where it went all to hell."

Rebekkah stared at her dad. "The mission was a nightmare. The tyrant was a sex monster and a couple of us found the mass graves where she disposed of her victims. The tyrant was then killed in combat."

"I'm sensing something here. Rebekkah, get to the point." Eric Knight had a feeling that something was wrong.

"Will is the Sentinel Commander, our leader. He found the control room where the tyrant controlled a ship that was set on destroying another planet. They fought and Will killed her."

"How old is he?" Her mom asked horrified.

"He a little older than me by about three months."

"Jesus! To kill at that age?" Eric shook his head. "Where is he? Is he with his parents as well?"

"Ah, and there's that. Mom, Dad, do you promise to hear me and him out before passing judgment on him?"

"Rebekkah."

"Dad."

Seeing she wasn't going to budge, Eric acquiesced. "I promise."

"You see, Will has a past with the Power Rangers. In fact, he was the Grey Ranger." Beck didn't have to wait long for the information to sink in.

"WHAT?!" Eric exploded, remembering the second evil Ranger that appeared soon after the Green Ranger joined the Rangers against the evil witch.

"Dad, you promised."

"But Rebekkah."

"You PROMISED!"

Eric settled back down, sticking to the promise he made to his daughter. "You see, Rita wanted a Ranger of her own. She used a new teenager to make her evil Green Ranger but the Rangers were able to free him as you all know. Unknown to them though, she already had her Grey Ranger at the time except for one thing. He didn't know how to fight. Goldar, the gold monkey thing, was training him. When the Green Ranger turned, Rita wanted to make sure the Grey Ranger stayed under her control. Finally though, he was able to destroy the Grey Coin, which is where the Power comes from."

"She was angry, wasn't she?" Sandra commented softly.

Rebekkah nodded grimly. "In her mind, she believed Will wasn't capable of destroying the Coin by himself as he was only a human being. She tortured him for months, trying to get the location of the Coin from him. He refused to give it her. Then, he heard that Rita was planning on killing the Green Ranger by destroying the Green Powers. He knew the Green Ranger and the Pink Ranger was a couple, the Pink Ranger being a close childhood friend. Will was able to break free and take the object that causing the Green Powers to fail. In the escape attempt though, he was mortally wounded as he teleported to Phaedos. Dulcea was able to heal him."

"Are you sure he was a prisoner, Beck?" Eric asked his daughter, thinking suspiciously of the boy.

She nodded. "Sometimes, under his tunic you can see the edges of scars. I haven't seen the whole thing yet. In fact, I've never seen his back. The only scar we've seen was the one on his hand that Rita burned there using the Grey Coin."

"Shit." Daniel whispered. "That must have hurt like hell."

"And that's not all. The tyrant he killed was one of Rita's descendants."

The light bulb went off in Eric's head. "He thinks he let his feelings take over during the fight to get revenge on Rita."

"I think so. He hasn't really talked to us since it happened. Will keeps pushing us away." Rebekkah fidgeted. "Especially me as I'm his girlfriend." She confessed quietly.

The silence in the room was unmistakable. "What did you say, Rebekkah?" Her mom asked in a disbelieving tone.

"I've been his girlfriend for a little over a year while we were training." She said a little bit louder this time.

"Your boyfriend is the evil Grey Ranger."

Rebekkah's eyes were suddenly filled with an intense fire. "He was never the evil Ranger. He was under a spell when that happened. Will was forced to hurt the ones he loved and considered to be his family. Right now, he's vulnerable to whatever people think of him. We fought to get him to trust us even minutely and I WILL NOT let you drag him back down!"

"I'm just shocked that's all, Beck. I didn't mean anything by it." Eric said trying to calm his daughter down. "You have to let us adjust to this, Beck. For the past week, we thought you were dead somewhere in a ditch and now we are finding out that you're a Sentinel, you have a boyfriend who once was the Grey Ranger, and that you've all come back from a disastrous mission."

Beck sighed, her anger fading away. "I'm sorry dad. It's just that with everything going, I've been a little stressed. The way Will's acting is making me worried. I want to help him but he keeps pushing us all away. It's like he reverted back to the stranger I first met two years ago." The Tiger Ninjetti shook her head. "It seems everything is going backward after having taken only one single step."

"Where is he right now?"

"He's on the space battle cruiser which is orbiting around Earth right now."

"Is there anyway to get up there?" Eric asked. Seeing his daughter's questioning look, he explained a little further. "I just want to speak with him, Rebekkah. After all, being an officer in the British Army during the little war in the Iraq, I have some experience the prisoners of war. Maybe I can get through to him."

"I don't know. He's very confrontational."

"Rebekkah."

After a little hesitation, Rebekkah nodded and stood up. "Just grab my hand, Dad. Mom, we'll be back in a bit." But already her dad was shaking his head.

"Beck, once I get up there, you'll have to come back down here. Your presence might stop me from getting to him as you already have a connection to Will." Seeing her disagreement, he shook his head. "Rebekkah, you said it. He won't talk to you. Understand that if he knows you're there, he will stay clam and it will be harder for me to get through."

"Okay. I'm just worried, that's all."

"I can see that but it will only be me and him." Eric stood up. "If I don't come back by dinner, just leave it in the oven. I'll heat it back up when I come back."

"Eric, be careful." Catalina said.

"Sure thing." Eric laid a hand on Rebekkah's shoulder and the two teleported to the Teleportation room on _Dead Reckoning._

**Spyridon- Here's the Thirteenth Chapter of EV. Next up is Chapter Fourteen- Crimson Regret. But I have to flesh it out and fine tune it. REVIEWS ARE GREATLY WELCOMED! I'm curious to know what you think!**


	14. Crimson Regret

**REVIEWS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED!**

**Ethereal Vision Chapter Fourteen- Crimson Regret**

Rebekkah and Eric appeared inside of the Teleportation room. "Welcome aboard _Dead Reckoning._" The Sentinel of Love led her father out into the hallway. She point at colored lines on the floor. "We put this so others wouldn't get lost looking for the main compartments of the ship. If you follow the yellow line, it will lead you to the Sentinel Quarters. If you get lost, you can ask the artificial intelligence onboard. KEYA?"

"Yes, Rebekkah?" The AI answered.

"Help my dad with anything he asks for, will you? He will be talking to Will so when he places his hand on the palm reader, can you enter that into the access database? I'll personally update it later."

"As you wish, Sentinel."

"That's pretty advanced technology, Rebekkah." Her father noted in awe. Eric had never seen such technology before. Did he remember her saying that Will built the ships?

"That's not the only thing Will created for the Sentinels." She smiled. "Maybe we'll show you later."

Eric kissed her daughter's forehead. "If anything happens, I'll make sure to have KEYA call you."

"Okay, dad. Take care of yourselves." Rebekkah stepped back and teleported out.

Setting his shoulders, Eric walked through the silent _Dead Reckoning,_ heading for the Sentinel Quarters. If his daughter was right, then the young boy would need a lot of support from them all to get through the healing process. He had seen many things; friends taken and never returning, some with emotional scars that never healed. His mouth tightened. He would not let Will become one of them.

His footsteps echoed down the hall, his resolve growing the closer and closer he got to the door marked with his daughter's boyfriend's name. With an exhalation of his breath, he placed his hand on the keypad and opened the door as the access light turned green. The door swished open, revealing the dark interior of Will's chambers.

Eric walked inside, eyes searching for Will. Walking to other side of the room, he caught sight of the dark figure sitting on the floor, back propped up against the bed, an arm resting on his raised left leg. "William?"

The figure glanced up, shock across his face. "Who are you and what are you doing here in my room?" Came the low angry question. The air had suddenly gotten colder in the room than before.

"My daughter is very worried about you." Eric stared at him, seeing the hunched shoulder, the closed off expression, and tense body. Not good signs. He remembered seeing those signs in his old buddies in the military after being brought back from their ordeals.

"Well, if you are here to tell me that I'm not good enough for your daughter then, don't even bother. She's deserves better than me." He turned away, his face coming into the light of the sun as it gleamed through the window, the only light in the room.

"On the contrary, I think you are underestimating yourself." Eric took a step closer. "But I'm not here to talk to you about that. Rather, I'm here to talk about the mission-"

Will waved a hand. "So you know that I killed someone in cold blood. I can get over it. I always do."

"You can talk to me about it. You don't have to carry it alone."

"I don't want to talk about it." Will's body was tensing further, the right hand on his lap clenching. Eric knew under the glove rested the Velociraptor Scar, branded there by Rita. Inside, he cursed at the evil witch for scarring the boy.

"You'll have to talk about it sooner or later you will explode." Eric looked out of the window, seeing the Earth gleaming in space. "Your friends are trying to help you, William. You are only hurting them and yourself even more when you try to push them away. Talk to them."

"I don't need to talk to them." Will got up, his back to Eric. "I don't need you or anybody else. Rebekkah can find another mate to live out her life in happiness."

"I didn't realize you were a quitter. From what Rebekkah told me, you never give in, always fighting."

"Well, she was wrong."

Eric continued, acting if Will hadn't spoken. "At least, meet them halfway, William. They're waiting for you."

Will laughed, a brittle sound in the silent air. "In all of your infinite wisdom, tell me how then."

"I don't know." Eric knew that everyone had a different personality, which meant the way he used for his friends would not probably work with him.

Will's eyes narrowed, glaring at Eric. He scowled at the older man. "Tell me how!"

"Just talk to them, William." Eric kept a wary eye on Will. The boy's hands were like claws, tense and slightly curled. He seemed ready to pounce, to snarl, and to scream out what was in him. The English officer waited, anticipating the next move.

"You just stand there asking me to talk to them. But you really want to know what happened to me, huh?" Will walked back until he hit the wall. He threw his hands up, arms crossed at the wrists. "This is how they hung me up in the dungeon, hanging like a piece of meat from the beam. They didn't even use shackles like with the Rangers; they used barbed chains so the metal could tear into my skin. They never took me down. I just hung there as I felt the cartilage in my ribs tearing, the barbs cruelly ripping into my wrists second after second. If they stopped, my wounds healed with the barbs still there. And when they came back, the wounds were reopened with my struggling. I suffered more than a human being should go through as the days passed and turned into weeks and finally months."

"I can imagine you did." Eric said softly, his heart filling with genuine sorrow at what the boy suffered.

"Yet how it was nothing compared to what they really did." Will bent forward, reaching back to pull his shirt off. The teen turned around, the sun's light giving depth to the slightly raised scars on his back. It looked like a lattice work, the great white lines stretching from left shoulder to the right waist and right to the left. Other scars adorned his arms and shoulder, just under where the collar of a shirt could be. Will turned around. "And it was- was so excruciating," Will bit out "that I actually couldn't control my body. I pissed myself; vomited; begged; cried; screamed for it to stop. But it didn't help. No matter what I did, they NEVER stopped. Goldar kept whipping me. The worst part of it, the reason why I hate myself is the fact she USED ME to hurt my friends, my own family, my flesh and blood. Every single time I brought that whip down, a little piece of my soul died. And I wonder, every night, if they still carry the scars that I placed on them? I wonder if they hate me for that night, if the still wake up in the middle of the night trembling in fear of me? And sometimes, I wish that I never was found, that I had died that night on Phaedos." Tears were falling freely from his face, the small drops of salty water catching the light of the sun, making it look like light was trailing from the edges of Will's eyes.

He wanted to stop, his breath coming in heaving gasps. He didn't want to tell the older man nothing. But it was coming out. Will tried to look away yet his eyes refused to leave the grey eyes in the man's lean face. "But maybe you are here to listen how I came to kill that woman, with my own hand holding the weapon."

"It eats away at you; a monster in the deepest darkest part of mind slowly eating your soul. It senses what you did. How you took your knife and intentionally dug the blade into the back of their neck, their blood coursing over your hands which are now dirty and unclean. And you stand there, expecting them to fight back. But they don't because you just sliced their spinal cord. You can feel their heartbeat stop, their brain shutting down, and for a second, you can feel their soul leave their body as if it was passing through you-" Will choked on a sob, tears coursing down his face as his guilt broke through the walls; anger, fury, and despair coursing through him once again.

"And you ask them in a quiet voice 'Are you dead?'. They don't answer since it was your hands that took them away." Eric stated quietly. Will's head snapped up. "That is all you think about; the look on their faces as they perished, the smallest details that one would normally never pay attention to."

"How did you know that?" Came the choked question.

"Because I've been there, William, because I've killed people too while in the service of my country. All of their deaths have affected me too, every single one of them." Will's body shuddered, trying to try in air. "Right now, you feel like your grief and pain is going to kill you if you let it out. It will but you'll be reborn, William. Just let us, let your friends, let Rebekkah help you. You don't have to carry it alone. And we won't let you."

Will fell to his knees. A second later, he felt the man's arms wrap around him. "Let it out, Will." Eric felt the boy's hands on his arms, knuckles white as he gripped like a drowning sailor.

"Oh, god, it's all I can think about every single night!" His body trembled, shaking with each heaving sob. "I can still see them. See them as I tortured them that night. I couldn't even stop. Rita was in my head, telling me to do it, egging me on. I tried to stop, to free them but I was too weak. They screamed and screamed. I wanted to die so I could give them peace." The boy said, each word whispered into Eric's wet t-shirt. "Now I don't have friends or family. My father hates me. He disowned me that night in the woods. WHY ME?!" Will buried his wet face into Eric's shoulder, trying to hide from the memories. "Why me? Why did this happen to me? Did I do something wrong?"

"I don't know, William." Eric held him tighter. "But we are here for you."

Will quieted down for a second, tone going flat. "Why don't you leave with them? They all do. Sooner or later they all leave."

"We are NOT leaving, Will."

Will didn't hear the words, his mind still lost in the swirling fog of his grief. "It feels, it feels like I'm going backward." The words were barely audible. In his mind, his own tears were not salty water but blood. Crimson tears of regret, guilt, hate. He closed his eyes, not wanting to see it anymore, burrowing his face deeper into Eric's shoulder.

"You're not falling backward, William. You just hit the next level. You just needed a little push." Eric told him, unconsciously rocking as he held the teen in his arms. His hand rubbed small circles on Will's back, helping to calm him. "We all need help in the darkest times. My wife was there for me and Rebekkah will be there for you."

"She probably hates me now." Will said dejectedly. The Wolf Ninjetti remembered all the nasty things he said to her since the end of the mission, especially when she came to his room that night.

"No she doesn't. She's waiting for you with your mother in law." The words slipped out of Eric's mouth before he knew it. Strangely, it felt right. Eric continued. "Your friends are also worried. Rebekkah feels guilty about not letting the subject drop that time when you were heading back to Phaedos. She thinks she hurt you more than you let on."

"She didn't know."

"Rebekkah doesn't know that. You need to talk to her."

Will gave an imperceptible nod. The tears continued to trail down his cheeks, drenching Eric's shirt. The minutes ticked by, the small shudders shaking him. Every time Eric shifted even the slightest of movements, Will tightened his fingers, arms closing in more. After a while, his breath even out as Will fell asleep in the man's arms. Making sure the boy was in a deep sleep, Eric moved so he could stand. He slid his arms under Will's prone body and lifted him up. The boy gave a slight whimper, unconsciously digging in deeper to Eric's warm body.

The older man gave a small smile. He walked out of the dark chambers, heading back to the teleporters.

(VvVvVvVvV)

The house was quiet. Nobody was talking much in the Knight household even though the questions were going through the entire family's mind. Rebekkah looked out the window. It had been a bright shiny day; the air clean and fresh, the breeze refreshing. Now it was slowly giving way into a cool and gentle night. But it didn't help lift up her heavy heart. It had been two hours since her dad left up to _Dead Reckoning_ to talk to Will.

She wanted to help him but she didn't know how. She could see Will was in pain over what happened on the mission to Bremen. The death of Adrianna was deeply affecting him, helping to reopen the wounds from his imprisonment. She stopped, a hand drifting to her mouth. Did it really reopen those wounds or just merely re-exposed wounds that never really healed? Did the Sentinels really ever help him get over those feelings and fears?

The Tiger Ninjetti knew in her heart that Will still silently yearned for the Rangers' forgiveness along with those of their parents and especially forgiveness from his father.

A light blazed from the hall way, taking Rebekkah off her current thoughts. She rushed in from the kitchen, her eyes immediately falling on the limp form of her mate in her dad's arms. "Is he alright?" She asked quietly, trying not to scream out loud.

Her dad gave a small smile. "He's just tired, that's all, Beck. I'm going to put him on the bed in the guest room. He'll spend the night there." Eric Knight took Will upstairs, making sure that William kept on sleeping.

"Beck?" The Tiger Ninjetti turned to see the rest of her family standing in the doorway to the living room.

"He's fine. My dad's taking him upstairs so he can sleep a little longer."

"Do you want to time to yourself, sis?" Daniel asked her, his concern showing in his eyes.

"No, to me, it's like we haven't seen each other in two years. I want to go out with you guys somewhere." Rebekkah said, wringing her hands in her shirt.

"There's a movie showing at the theatres that I want to go see?"

Beck smiled. "I'm sure it has to do with the military."

Daniel laughed. "Of course, that's the best type of movie there is." '

The Tiger Ninjetti laughed then suddenly stopped. She looked at their mom. "Would it be alright for me to go and watch a movie with them or should I stay here?"

"Knowing my husband, it'll be alright." Catalina Knight said as she draped her arms around her daughter's neck. "I know Will be fine with us. It's Sunday so I believe you should guys should leave right now before the crowd rushes in."

"Of course mom. We'll be back as fast as we can." Beck hugged her mother.

"Enjoy the movie, little one. Otherwise there would be no point." Beck nodded, turning to talk to her brother and sister. Catalina watched as the siblings leave the house to go to the theatre. She waited until her husband was walking back down the stairs. "How is he?"

"If I could I would kill that bitch!" Eric uncharacteristically said angry at what the boy had gone through. "He should be worrying about school, laughing with his friends or doing usual things boys his age should do." Eric leaned against the wall, running a hand through his black hair. "Cat, he looked like Rogers when he came back from his time in an Iraqi prison."

Cat's eyes widened at the mention of one of his old friends. The captain had been imprisoned for over five months in an Iraqi cell, watching as other members of his squad died in the filthy conditions. When he had returned home, he had been traumatized deeply. The loss of his team and feelings of helplessness had eaten away at the once strong man. He had never been able to recover from his ordeal. His wife found him two months later, his wrists cut and dead. "No."

"He's only sixteen at the most and he already has memories like that." Eric hissed. The British officer wanted to hit something but he refrained himself. Maybe later when the his wife wasn't around to see him lose control.

"What are we going to do, Eric?"

Her husband's eyes hardened. "He's not going to join Rogers, god rest his soul William will live a happy life. I'll make of that."

"Do you really think you'll be able to get to him? You heard what Rebekkah said. He gets confrontational when you speak of that with him."

"I don't think he'll get violent." Eric leaned back, rubbing his hands against his face. "Plus, I've never had experience with this before, Cat. Fighting against an alien witch isn't the same thing as fighting human beings or the fact that he tortured his own family and friends. How am I going to get him through this?"

Catalina hugged, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head on Eric's shoulder. "The same way you got through watching your friends fall around you and how you got some of them to live relatively happy lives. You'll use hard love, determination, understanding, and the bottomless patience."

"But what if it isn't enough? What if he falls?"

"Then the other Sentinels will be there to catch him." Cat shifted her head until she was looking up into Eric's eyes. "It's going to be a tough road, isn't it?"

"Hopefully, one that Will can reach the end of." Eric kissed Cat. "I'm going to go and sit by his side. I know for a fact that he'll wake up soon and probably from a nightmare." No sooner than that had left his mouth when a scream of terror ripped through the air from the stairs. Not even looking at Catalina, Eric ran up, taking two at a time.

(VvVvVvVvV)

**Spyridon- Here's my favorite chapter so far. I hope you like it. Please leave a review! **


	15. Hidden Secrests

**REIVEWS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED!**

**Chapter Fifteen- Hidden Secrets**

He was back in the dungeon.

The bloodied chains were hanging from the rafters over head. The smell of the decaying blood was overpowering. Billy looked at his body, seeing the rivulets of blood that were seeping from his wounds on his back. At the smallest of sounds, Billy looked up. Only to see Goldar in his armor of gold standing over him, his own blood covering the plates of metal. In his hand, dripping with the red liquid, was his barbed whips, the many tails dragging on the blood-covered floor.

The captured Ranger screamed in pain as the barbed whips tore at his skin, the flesh blazing to life with pain. The chains twisted, refusing to give way as his body tried to arch away from the cruel strips of hide. His breath was labored as he continued to hang like a slab of meat on a butcher's hook. His eyes shot open as a cold hand touched his skin on his shoulder, gripping tightly. He yelled and twisted hands suddenly free. He swung his right, his fist connecting with a resounding crack.

"WILL! WILL, IT'S US!" Goldar's voice seemed to have changed, less deep, less angered and more pleading. "WILL, WAKE UP!" He arched, trying to break free of the arms circling his chest.

"Let me go!" He closed his eyes and opened them again. The dungeon was no longer there. Goldar was no longer there. It was a bedroom, the sun filtering in through the curtains. "Daddy?" He croaked out in a broken voice. "Dad, I need you."

"We're here for you, Will. It's okay." Eric said, cradling him in his arms. His jaw hurt from where Will's fist had caught him as he thrashed on the bed. Will trembled, knowing in his heart that his dad was not there; that he did not know what had happened in the dungeons on the Lunar Palace. He started to build the walls again.

"We're here for you, William." Eric said, slowly releasing his arms.

"No." Will whimpered, trying to get free of the comforting arms. He wanted his dad but he knew it was not possible. He had to get free. Everything was suffocating, pressing down on him, choking him. "Mom." He broke free of Eric's arm and running straight into Catalina's. He wailed as the walls threatened to break.

Eric did not know what to say to the young teen. He sat on the other side of Will, turning it into a three-way hug as the teen continued to tremble in shock in fear. He met his wife's eyes.

For an hour, they sat there. Every now and then, Will would try to break free but Eric's quick response kept him there.

After a while, they could hear Will's stomach rumble in hunger. Catalina leaned back, making sure her arms were still around his neck. "Are you hungry?"

Will did not respond, just staring listlessly at the wall.

"Well, I am for one and I'm sure Rebekkah and the others will be when they come back." Catalina stood up. "For tonight, I'll have Daniel give you some sweats and tomorrow we're going to go shopping for some new clothes."

Eric shifted, nudging Will to stand. "Come on, Will. Cat doesn't like us to eat in our room unless we're vomiting and can't move from our beds."

"Why are you doing this? You have no reason to help me." Will finally asked, looking at them with a distant expression. "You're not my family."

Eric just gave Will a smile. "Does there have to be a reason for someone to help someone else?" He watched as Will slowly got to his feet and followed them out to the kitchen area. Eric walked slightly behind his wife and Will, thinking of the mental battle that was sure to come. He knew for a fact that seven days weren't enough to help Will. This scar could and probably would last for years. Maybe even to the day he died. Eric shook his head. Just one step at a time. That was all they could do for him.

On the other side of Angel Grove, Beck was staring out of the window of Daniel's truck, watching as the scene passed by. It felt weird now that the Sentinels were back on Earth. It felt like so much had changed, so much distance between her and the things she had once felt comfortable with at one period in her young life.

"Beck, are you okay?" Daniel asked as he stopped at a stoplight, glancing at her for a moment.

"Just taking in the sights. I haven't seen it for what seemed like two years." Beck twisted around in her seat. "Dulcea twisted time around on the planet where we were training. For the two days here on Earth, we spent what felt like two years."

Sandra whistled. "I thought twisting time was impossible."

"I guess not everything we know on Earth follows what's out there." Beck fingered the simple bracelet on her wrist. "Everything feels like it's at a distance that I'm not really here." Beck turned back out the window. "Like he's really not there."

Sandra and Daniel shared a look. "Are you talking about Will?" Her brother asked. Beck nodded. "I thought you were a couple." Even as the words passed his lips, Daniel still could not quite believe that his sister had a boyfriend, much less be the ex-Grey Ranger's girlfriend.

"We are. " A hand drifted to her lips. "It's weird about the Ninjetti senses, I guess. You know the moment you set eyes on them that they are your soul mate, the other half of you. It is like your blood and your soul sings. I did not recognize it at first. I just felt happy whenever Will was near. When I finally noticed it, I tried to think it was just a physical attraction but I learned that he was my mate." Beck stopped and laid her head against the cool glass. "When we got together, you didn't know how ecstatic I was."

"So what's the problem?" Sandra gently asked.

"Even though we're together, it feels like he's still holding himself back. Like he afraid to let himself fully enter the relationship. He does talk to me but it is not in depth in feeling. He is just a robot when he tells me. I've tried to get him open to me but he won't let himself."

"Oh boy. These are one of the times I wish I was a psychologist." Sandra muttered.

"You and me both." Beck fingered the bracelet again. "I'm thinking its stems from something with his past with the Rangers."

Daniel shook his head. "The thing that shocks me is the fact that he's not a blubbering wreck after the time he spent on the Moon."

"He was when we first meet him. He broke his wrist after going toe to toe with a wall."

"Ouch." Daniel stopped for a second. "He busted his hand?"

"Yeah. That is another thing about the Ninjetti. Your healing rate goes up but you have to eat afterward to make up for the calorie burn."

Daniel turned on their block. "I wonder how things will pan out from here."

"Changes are sure to come." Beck tightened her sweater around her. "You're going to have to be careful with Will. He gets uncomfortable when you act like family around him. He'll seem stand offish."

"Thanks for the warning." The three got out of the truck and entered the Knight Household. "We're back!" Daniel called as they hung up their jackets in the closet.

"We're in the kitchen." Their mom called back. The trio trooped into the spacious kitchen where Will and Eric were sitting at the kitchen table with Cat bustling around setting dinnerware. "I'm hoping you didn't eat out."

"No, I'm hungry for some homemade food." Beck announced, sitting automatically next to Will. "Did everything go okay while we were gone?"

"Will had a flashback while he was asleep. Gave me a good whack in the jaw." Eric announced. Beck could immediately feel Will tense beside her, his hand tightening around his silverware. Rebekkah stared her father, slightly motioning toward Will with her eyes. He seemed to have gotten the message. "So how was the movie?"

"It was a bust. Graphics were bad and the plot was horrible." Daniel sighed as he sat down, sniffing as his mom handed him his share. "Smells good."

"You better enjoy because once you get sent to training camp, you're going to wishing the cook was your mom." Eric warned, as he took a bit.

"Oh, it can't be that bad."

"Dear brother, that's how they weed out the strongest from the herd and ship the weak back home." Sandra declared as she took a couple of dinner rolls from the plate in the middle of the dining table.

Catalina looked at Will as she bustled around the kitchen. "Do you know when we are going to meet the rest of the Sentinels? Or is it going to be a while?"

Rebekkah swallowed. "We kind of agreed to meet at the Dark Horse Lake the day after tomorrow. It's relatively secluded and big enough to hold all our families."

"But why not Angel Grove Park? It's closer." Sandra asked.

"It's the fact that the Rangers routinely visit that park almost on a daily basis. The chance of running into them is very high and one that we can not afford."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't feel like meeting them right." Will bit out.

Noting the conversation was beginning to take a nasty turn, Eric changed the subject. "A problem I just saw is the fact that you need to get some clothes if you're going to spend the downtime you have with us. Perhaps, tomorrow, we go out shopping for a couple of changes of clothing?"

"That would be good as I have grocery stopping to do." Catalina sat down. "I'm sure we kind something that will be to your tastes, William."

The Sentinel Commander closed his eyes at the name, trying to repress the memories of his mother doing the same when he was a little boy. Everything that was happening was not was he was expecting. They should have been repulsed by the fact that he was the evil Grey Ranger. His own family and friends was. As Will ate in silence, he continued to think.

Did that mean his father did not love him enough to accept the events that had recently occurred? Did it mean that his father was fine in abandoning him to Rita and her minions when he could have easily been saved if Hank Cranston had simply taken him back to the Command Center? Why did his own father give up on him so easily? The Rangers had fought so hard to save Tommy yet did not even think he had been under a spell. Why did they not question his absence from the battlefield when he had destroyed the Grey Coin?

He finished his dinner as quickly as possible, taking his dishes to the sink and retreating to the guest room that Eric had shown him earlier. The bedroom was simply. A closet next to the door, the twin bed in the corner, a dresser across from it and a night table next to the bed on the other side. Will sat on the bed, staring at the floor.

Going to sleep would leave him vulnerable to the dreams. How many times would he wake up screaming for his father who will never come? More importantly how long before the Knights would get tired of him waking them up in the middle of the night.

Damn, he wished he was back on Phaedos, reading up on the history of the current villains in the universe. However, for some reason he could not fathom, the records for Rita and Goldar were missing.

Will kicked off his shoes and laid out fully on the bed. Turning on his side to face the wall, he closed his eyes. That feeling he wanted to hide from was creeping on him again. God, he wanted to go to the house he had called home for 5 years when the Cranston's had moved to Angel Grove after the accident that killed his mom. He wanted to be in the small room on the second floor that was down the hall from his father's. He wanted the small lab that he had built in the garage where he used to spend hours experimenting while his friends studied in the corner. Silently, the tears began to come, running down his cheeks as the sun outside began to set.

Thirty miles away, a lone figure lay on a hospital bed, the heart monitor slowly registering the steady beat of the patient's heart. The room was tidy and clean. The only clue that the patient had once been a mother was the photo of three people sitting forlornly on the nightstand.

In the house that Billy had once called home, his father slept in the master bedroom, unaware that his son was back on Earth.

**Spyridon- AH! Sorry for the months of not updating! Sorry sorry sorry! I just got through my first semester at SDSU and I had no social life and I barely even saw my own parents much less time to write my stories out. Plus this particular chapter posed a huge problem. I'm not even satisfied with it but it was the best I can do. I hope you are still continuing to read my stories. I'll try to get to What I've Done as well. I only have two weeks of vacation left and I need to get ready for the next semester. At least I got a 3.3 average this semester. Whew!**


	16. Stepping Back

**REIVEWS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED!**

**Chapter Sixteen- Stepping Back**

//Frozen inside without your touch without your love

Darling, only you are the life among the dead

(All this time I can't believe I couldn't see

Kept in the dark but you were there in front of me)

I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems

Got to open my eyes to everything

(Without a thought without a voice without a soul)

Don't let me die here

(There must be something more)

Bring me to life//

After the day of shopping for new clothes with the Knight family, Will was now sitting at a bench in the second largest community park after Angel Grove Park. The other Sentinels were mingling with their families, getting to know each other better. The Sentinel Commander knew the parents and the older children were aware of his past in come capacity as he had been receiving quick suspicious glances, including a few that were color by barely concealed disgust. Will kept to himself under a large tree in the shadows of the forest surrounding the park.

Rebekkah slid onto the bench across from Will with two plates full of food and the other hand holding their drinks. "You should eat. At breakfast, you didn't eat much."

"I wasn't hungry." Will muttered, looking at the plate piled with 2 hamburgers, chips, and a couple of chocolate walnut cookies.

"Are you going to talk to the others?" Beck asked as she took a bite from her hamburger. "Some of them are curious about you."

"It seemed quite a few were suspicious of me." Will looked at where the majority of the parents were talking at the grill.

"Maybe it's because you're giving off this vibe that warns others off?" Rebekkah placed her hamburger back on the plate. "Will, you may be here and not running away to the nearest hills but you are not trying to reach out to the others."

"I'm trying the best I can, Beck." Will's voice was rough, resentment coming up to the surface. Why couldn't she just let it rest? Why did she have to keep pushing? Then he remembered last night after he had gone to sleep when they had come back home, carrying quite a few bags. "Beck, I feel that we need to talk about our relationship." He muttered quietly.

At hearing those words, the Sentinel of Love felt her heart drop to the pit of her stomach. "Is it because of something I did? Should I have told-" She started to tell him.

Will shook his head no. "No, you didn't do nothing wrong. Last night, I was thinking about the reasons why we got together. I mean, we had barely known each for six months. Dulcea told us that the adult Ninjetti can feel things more deeper about they're usually well into their twenties. We're still young. Granted we have an extra two years but that's been on Phaedos, training to learn how to fight, without the interaction of other people. Beck, how do we know what we are exactly feeling? I have never known any thing deeper than an infatuation and that was with one of my ex-friends. How do I know that I'm not just using you?"

During the little speech, Rebekkah was staring at the table and her hands, anywhere but him. "Will, I know that you are not using me."

"How do you know that, Beck? We've known only each other two years?! With no one around. Most of that time, we were learning how to fight. Sure we had days off but you can't learn about people deeply in situations like these. Plus I've just killed a person, Beck." He hissed at her, hands clenched tightly. "I'm not even recovered even a little bit from what I went through before I meet you guys. Is everything going to be hunky dory just because we feel the slightest of feelings when we first meet? Come on, Beck. Be realistic. I'm still a FUCKING WREAK!" He stopped when he noticed that stares that he was drawing from the others. He sighed, dropping his face into his hands, trying to ignore the tears that were falling from Beck's face. "You know what? I need some time." Will shoved from the bench and headed off into the forest, ignoring the calls from Eric. He just couldn't handle more people right now.

The elder Knight saw the young teen stalk off, leaving his daughter at the bench. Behind him, he could hear the whispers from the other parents.

"What crude language!"

"I wonder what they were speaking about?""Isn't she supposed to be his girlfriend? I wouldn't have my son treating their girlfriends like that."

Eric motioned to his older children that he would handle this. Drawing up with his youngest child, he could feel how distraught Rebekkah was. "What happened, Beck?"

The Sentinel played with the edge of the paper plate. "Will just broke off our relationship. Said that we were too young and he wasn't ready for it." Beck looked at her father. "Did I just ruin any chance I could have had with him?"

Eric sighed. Another obstacle. "Beck, I'm sure you didn't mean to crowd him but he needs time to deal with what has happened in his life. And personally, I don't think the time on Phaedos helped him much. He was isolated and in this case he withdrew into himself, inhibiting from dealing with his imprisonment and the forced torture of his family. And what happened with Adrianna's killing, it brought every single emotion out, probably even multiplying the feelings exponentially."

"And having a girlfriend would be too much." Beck said quietly. She turned back to her food. "He told me he never had a relationship, the closest being an infatuation."

"I don't think he can really move forward unless he finds who he is again." Eric looked at his daughter. "Beck, you may have to be prepared that there is a chance he may never find himself again."

"What do I if that happens?" She asked softly, not wanting to think about it.

"I don't know, Beck. I don't know."

(VvVvVvVvV)

**Spyridon- Here's another chapter. Granted it's smaller than my usual ones for this fic. But I felt like this was a good place to stop. Yesterday, one of my dogs gave birth to three pups but sadly one passed away and I've been making sure the other two pups made it through the night. Oh, and I can't wait for tomorrow! The Inaugaration of the new President. Yippee!!! Please leave a review! ****I also remembered that I also posted up pictures of what the Ninjetti clothing. I have a twist about the Ninjetti Sentinel Powers that even I didn't see coming. It just popped up one day. To see the pics, click on my profile link and I have my deviantART account listed as my homepage where it should be under the name Sentinel Commander I in my gallery. Also, if you go to scraps, there should be different poses to see the full costume. I even have begun drawing Beck and Will in their animal forms. Oh and please review! Don't forget to watch my profile for weekly updates!**


	17. Avian Visions

**REIVEWS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED!**

**Chapter Seventeen- Avian Visions**

Will overlooked Angel Grove as he sat on the edge of a cliff, seeing storm clouds on the horizon. It looked like the region would soon get a downpour that had been due. After leaving Beck at the park with the others, he had teleported to a spot that he had often visited by himself when he needed to think alone. It was a short reprieve from the feelings of containment he had begun to feel while talking with Beck. He knew logically that she was trying to help him but the fear that had been born quietly when his mother died and nourished by Rita had come to the fore.

He scuffed at the ground with his boot. The surrounding landscape didn't look like it had changed. The trees decorating the slopes of the Sierra Nevada Range like a living blanket looked the same. The curve of the river as it wound between the canyons had the same shape.

The time it took to get to this spot was 2 hours which was why he had rarely came here. He would tell his father ahead of time so the older man wouldn't be afraid when he wouldn't come home for hours. Will laid on his back. Jason and the others didn't even know of his secret spot. There were times when he would have to get away for a bit, like when Kim's parents had divorced and he didn't know how to handle the slightly hysterical Kim back then or when Jason and Zack were apart of the middle school football team.

Will laid down on the ground, arms behind his head.

Questions filtered through his head, different scenarios racing through. What would have happened if Rita hadn't found him or had even decided to skip him? Would he had lived on through his life knowing his friends were Rangers yet he was not one of their friends? Or even what would have changed if he had been chosen as one of the original Rangers? Would there be a difference if the Rangers had confided him in that they were chosen? Would they have known he was kidnapped?

He refused to let the tears fall, blinking angrily up at the sky. Life was unfair. He had lost his mother right in front of him when he was nine. His father had seem to slowly fade into a shell that Billy couldn't penetrate. At that point in time, he had felt alone and destined to be by himself until the day he died. Then his father had decided to leave Chicago and come to Angel Grove, forcing Billy to leave what little relations he had to an unknown future in the bright city by the ocean. Sure, he had time to get in touch with his cousins Samantha and Jeremy who lived with his aunt and uncle in San Diego but he still didn't feel welcomed.

But that changed when he meet Jason and Zack. He had been trying out a new invention with a battery-powered ship he had designed from various books he had taken notes and references from. He had been sitting on the edge, recording the different things that were wrong or working well on the small ship. Zack had been interested in the boat as it sailed by on its own. The two children had edged closer, watching the small kid who had his own boat. That day, they had grown to know each other but they never became friends until 7th grade when Jason and Billy were in the same biology and math class. In eighth grade, Kim and Trini joined their group. Over the one and half years before the five became Power Rangers, they had become best friends.

That friendship went on the back burner and in the first month, Billy didn't know why until he was able to connect the dots. For two weeks, he had supported them, cheering them on silently as he watched in safety from the Juice Bar.

Rita stepped in and his life practically went to hell.

As he walked the halls of Angel Grove High after meeting her, every time he caught sight of one of the Rangers, a deep intense hatred would rise to the surface, telling him to kill them. But the self-control or the impression of it told him it was not the time. He watched from afar, analyzing how they fought as a team and as individuals, plotting the different ways they would fall to him on their knees. Night after night, he would work on the Velociraptor Zord, updating its systems so that it could take on the MegaZord and win. He watched as Tommy was kidnapped and turned into the evil Ranger, grinning as he kicked their asses and was furious when Tommy was freed. At that moment, he trained even harder to avenge the insult placed on his master and mistress.

And when he had gone into battle, the emotions radiating off them when he had appeared tasted sweet and made shivers run down his spine. Below the film of evil, he had wanted to scream out for them to help him. He watched as his own inventions had gone into battle against them. And he had broken when he had tortured his dad and Jason's father in front of the others.

Will closed his eyes against he remembered pain he had fault when he had broken the spell. The thought of killing himself was still within him, whispering in the dark.

He hated himself even more when he didn't object to Rebekkah when they had gotten together. During those months, he had plastered on a fake smile, repressed his feelings of self-hatred and anger so she wouldn't catch it. He had led her on. Breaking up with her would set her free from him and his sordid past. After all, who would want a damaged and broken teenager as a boyfriend?

Will sat up, placing his elbows on his bent knees. There was too much baggage bouncing around his head and too much responsibility burdening his shoulders. The necklace Jessie had given him glittered in the fading light; a reminder of his duty. A duty that meant protecting others even if it meant taking the lives of others. An act he had already committed.

Will let his head fall between his knees, closing his eyes and trying to forget who he was for a second. He let his mind wander. There was a chirping of a cricked in the brush behind him. The distant sound of water rushing down the sides of the mountain on its course to the Pacific Ocean. There was a squirrel chattering as it ran up the sides of a large pine tree, collecting it's nuts for the upcoming of winter. High above him, a bird rose on the thermals rising up from the hot ground below. His mind focused on the bird, his mind's eyes sharpening the image of the wings beating on the air, the tail feathers repositioning themselves again and again, the dark beady eyes of the falcon staring at him, into him. . . .

A flurry of images bombarded his mind and Will threw himself backward, scrambling up to his feet as he tried to calm his breathing. Shakily, he wiped at his face and was shocked to feel the trails of tears running down his face.

"What the fuck?" WIll wiped the evidence away, trying to remember what he had seen. Dulcea had spoken that one of the abilities of the Ninjetti was a greater sensitivity to the Spirit Realm and other dimensions and realities than most sentient beings in the universe couldn't even imagine. Did the images he just see fall into that?

One of the things he had remembered was the image of two bloody carcasses: one of a falcon and the other of a crane.

Will shook his head.

But did it mean anything?

He paused for a sec. He was probably imagining things. Steeling himself, he teleported to an area just outside of the Knight Household. He was about to knock on the door when it swung open, revealing a somewhat frantic Sandra there.

"Will, the Pink Ranger's in trouble!" She hissed at him, mindful at the last second not to yell it aloud.

The Sentinel Commander reeled back. "What do you mean the Pink Ranger is in trouble?"

Sandra ushered him in, closing the door and heading toward the living room. Rebekkah and her mom were sitting on the couch while Daniel sat in the ottoman and their father watching from the doorway. Sandra pointed to the television where Will could see a reporter appearing to be near where a recent monster battle took place. "They were fighting some monster that resembled a quarterback. They were fighting when that witch appeared. She did some sort of spell which the Pink Ranger got caught in. She disappeared then the Green Ranger got hurt bad. The rest of the Rangers retreated back to their headquarters I guess."

Something settled in his stomach, a living twisting feeling full of dread. Will couldn't describe it, but something was pulling him to help her. "I'm going up to _Dead Reckoning. _I'm going after her." He teleported to the orbiting ship.

Walking quickly, he walked to his quarters and opened the drawer where the incense and scented candles Dulcea gave him were stored. Setting down the items on the floor before the footboard, he went to the private bathrooms and poured water into a large bowl which he carried carefully to the spot he was going to perform what he needed to do. He changed quickly into the Ninjetti adept clothing he kept for exercising on the ship. Sitting cross-legged on the floor with his back against the board, he started the three large candles that form a semicircle around the bowl. He ignited the incense and placed them at the base of the candles.

Will closed his eyes, bringing images of Kim:

The first time he had meet her at school, the embarrassment he felt when he spilled her milk across her lunch… Memory after memory came. Kim smiling and laughing as they played with Jason. The sadness he felt when he learned that Kim's parents were divorcing after 10 years of marriage. Will didn't feel the trickle of tears that were coursing down his face. The glee he felt when they found out that they were all going to the same high school and the happiness when they celebrated his 12th birthday. Kim, radiate, energetic, happy, pulsating. . . .

Will opened his eyes but he no longer saw the quarters on board Dead Reckoning.

Instead he saw a desolate plain with a forest nearby surrounded by mountains. Yet everything was out of focus, more faded than was possible in real life. Using his superior wolf sense which was further enhanced by the Ninjetti power, he searched the areas until his sapphire blue eyes fell on a petite figure talking to a crow.

Gathering up his courage, Will trotted to where Kim was standing, preparing himself for the risk he was about to take.

**Spyridon- Sorry for the delay but I just passed my psych test with an 85% so I'm happy. I'm working on Chapter 18 of EV now with plans to revise the chapters of VSD to fit the two stories closer together. Just keep checking my profile for any updates! Also, you can check out my DeviantART(link on my profile) for updates on my drawings regarding the series!**


	18. The Valley of the Shadow of Death

**REIVEWS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED!**

Chapter Eighteen- The Valley of the Shadow of Death

Will crept closer, just out of sight of Kimberly's peripheral vision. The crow spoke to her and he listened closely to what the bird was saying now. "Where he watches as his pet hunts a chosen prey until it is captured and killed. No one has ever survived the Hunt, no one ever reaching where the Gate of Mists stands as a bridge from here to the mortal realm." Seeing the lone mountain in the range a couple of miles away, Will guessed that's where the Gates were located if what he read while on Phaedos were believed to be true. The Commander's ears perked up as the sound of trumpets called through the air. Whatever it was did not sound good.

Will heard Kim as the bird another question. "What's going on?"

"The Hunt; it has begun!" The bird gave one last squawk before flying off.

"I guess I better start moving." Seeing this was time to step in, Will dropped his cover slightly, and stepped before Kim who froze in shock at seeing him.

Deciding to speak to her through a mind link, Will gently entered hers. **You are going the wrong way, young Crane.**

"Did another animal want to talk to me again?" Kim was staring at him, body in a defensive stance.

**I do. **Will dropped his shadow completely, letting the Pink Ranger to see him in his Wolf form. **I am here to help you. I am a friend of all Warriors who walk the path of Light. The way you are heading is the way to the Swamps of Doubt. Head to your left for that is the path toward the Gates of Mist and ultimately the Falcon. **Will motioned toward her left.

**Are you speaking to me in my mind? **

**Yes. **

**Oh. Whom do you mean by the Falcon? **

**Your mate, Thomas Oliver, the Green Morphin Ranger. **The moment Will had entered her mind, he had seen the link that existed between Kim and Tommy, a link so similar to the one between him and Rebekkah, he knew they were mates. Will did not know if he wanted to scream in joy or laugh in irony.

**You seem to know a lot about us. I am afraid I do not know anything about you though. **

**Do not worry about that. What you rather should worry about is reaching the Gates of Mists. If you tend to keep on chatting, we shall never reach them. **Kim had always liked to talk, even when it just was not the appropriate time and he had to keep her safe. Thankfully, she was learning that there were times to listen or to act.

**Are you real? **Guess she still lapsed into her old way from time to time.

Will gave a half chuckle.** I am a real individual but now I am speaking to you in my wolf form. In fact, you rather summoned me. **When he got back to Phaedos, he was going to have to talk to Dulcea and Ninjor about that. He couldn't be fighting someone and have this happen. It might cost him his life or worse, the lives of the other Ninjetti Sentinels.

**I did? I don't remember doing it. **

**That's because it was a calling of the unconsciousness. Something that is common in Ninjetti. **

**Ninjetti? 6**

Before Will could speak any further, his head turned, the sapphire eyes gazing deep into the forest, ears flicked forward. **They are coming. You must hurry. **He began to fade.

**Hey, what is your name? I can't call you Wolf the whole time can I? **

**You may call me Araya. Keep strong, young one.** Will gave one last look before moving again. For the moment, Kim wasn't in any danger but Tommy was another matter. Sensing Tommy's unique signature, Will tracked him down.

Some how, Tommy had split from his body, sending his conscious to the dimension where Kim was. He was in imminent danger as he had left himself more vulnerable to the overlord of this dimension. Tommy wasn't yet trained in the arts of astral projecting which meant he wouldn't be able to fight back. The overlord had sensed his presence and was on his way to where Tommy was while his dogs were chasing down Kim.

Will loped over the terrain easily, his lithe wolf form quickly decreasing the distance between him and Tommy. The person who was now going out with his ex-oldest friend.

_This isn't the time to think about Kim's relationship with Tommy. _Will told himself. They would be able to take care of each other and Kim knew Tommy's dark secrets, something that Will couldn't tell Rebekkah. That's what had destroyed them. He couldn't trust her to stay if she knew what had happened in the dungeons.

A green and white Ninjetti presence was caught in the plains; the presence of a Falcon overhead. Will slowed down, feeling precious time ticked by as the Overlord drew nearer. He knew for a fact that he could no take him on. Will just too inexperienced in the ways of the Ninjetti.

Suddenly the scenery changed, the trees and roaming hills disappeared. Great flat plains surrounded him, huge towers of aging stone rising up from the floor. Tommy was staring up at the sky. Will looked up briefly. The sky was acting like a screen projector, snippets of Tommy's past.

_What was going on? _As he neared, it came to him; Tommy was being held here will the Overlord bared down on him. It was a distraction. Will came up behind Tommy quietly. **You are here nor there. **Will watched as Kim's boyfriend dropped into a crouch. **Don't worry, Falcon. I am not here to hurt you. **

**Who the hell are you? **Will ignored the thought that he sounded like Tommy. Or was it other way around; that Tommy sounded like him?

**I am Araya. I am a friend of all Rangers. **Will dropped his cover. **You are not supposed to be here. You are needed back with your friends and loved ones. **

**Where am I? **

**That is difficult to explain. Your mate, the young Crane is in what we call the Valley of the Shadow of Death, taken directly from the mortal realm. Now, Death's hounds are hunting her as if one would a fox. **

**We have to help her!** Tommy moved forward.

**I will but not you. You have not been trained to move between spiritual realms. I have already sent her on her way to the Gates of Mists where she will be able to return back to you. But you, you have to go back. **

Tommy looked at him. **I don't know who you are, but I have to help Kim! **

**You will by going back. If you come with me, you only danger yourself, me, and your loved one. And you will leave Earth defenseless. **Will could see the conflict within Tommy. **You have my word that she will brought back to you. I swear it as a Ranger. **

**Fine. But how do I get out of here? **

**Follow your Spirit. It has been flying overhead for some time now.** **That is your Spirit, your familiar. Follow him back to your loved ones. **The pair watched as the elegant bird spiraled down from the sky to land right before them.

**My hatchling, it is time for you to return back. You must leave this place. **

**Why?**

**Because when you are here, you are at the mercy of the God of Death. He will be able to attack you but you cannot attack him. I cannot interfere and Araya is watching over the Crane. **

Will felt something pull at him. Drawing on his power, he knew Kim was in danger. The hounds had found her. **Your mate is in danger. I must go. And he is coming here. You MUST leave, Tommy. **The Falcon looked at him and nodded once. Will knew Tommy was in good hands. Will brought his cover up again and ran off back to where Kim was.

As he crossed the plain boundary, the scene changed back to the hills. Kim had either learned to run faster or somehow time had passed faster than Will expected. Leaping over a boulder, he immediately saw what had Kim caught. A large carnivorous plant had wrapped its vines around Kim's legs and was dragging her to the spot where the beak was, ready to devour her. Quickly shifting into his Sentinel outfit, Will pulled the Katanas from their scabbards and slashed at the vines, the blades trailing blue and black fire.

As the vines retreated, Will shifted into his Wolf form again, Kim looking at him with gratitude on her face. **Are you alright? I am sorry that I did not arrive sooner. Your mate was difficult to persuade. **

**Yeah, that's sounds like Tommy. How is he? **

**He is alright. He tried to come here, as it seemed you also called out to him. He somehow bonded with his familiar though not fully. Had he stayed where he was, he would have been killed by the God of Death. But he is safe now. The Falcon told me he has arrived back home. All we need now is for you to go home. **

**It seems there are surprises at every turn. **Will watched as Kim stood up, trying to brush the mud off her clothing. **I think my clothes are ruined. These stains are never going to come off. **Inside, Will gave a small chuckle. Even in the face of danger, Kim was taking it in stride.

The thought sobered him as well as rising the yearning he had to be close to his friends and family again. He shoved the thought back inside its hidden box. He nudged at her with his head. **You need to get a move on. I have not arrived yet. **

He was so focused on the thoughts that he didn't sense the Hound's presence until it was almost down upon Kim. Crying out, she landed in the river, the teeth missing her by mere inches. Will knew that water was extremely cold due to the glacier ice melts and it didn't help that Kim was wearing clothing better suited to the beach. He heard her come back up to the surface for air, arms flailing to keep her afloat.

**SWIM! SWIM TO THE OTHER SIDE! I will stop them. **Will ordered, turning to face the Hound. The other Hounds were a good distance away but they had caught the sound of Kim's voice. He heard Kim swimming to the opposite bank. Growling, Will raised his hackles and bared his teeth. The two launched themselves at the other. Will lunged up on his hind legs, trying to get his forelegs wrapped around the Hound's throat to bring him down. He was so caught up in his emotions that he didn't think to shift into his human form. It wouldn't help anyway; the overlord would immediately tell where he was if he transformed, something he couldn't risk as Kim was still a good distance away from the Gates.

He yelped as the Hound's teeth caught in his chest. Ears laid flat against his skull, Will wrestled the larger Hound to the ground. The Hound let go, its hind legs trying to tear at Will's exposed belly. Will snapped his jaws shut over a leg, roughly shaking his head side to side. The Hound let out a yell, arching its neck in pain.

Big mistake.

Taking advantage, Will quickly let go of the leg and tore at the throat, cutting the yell short. Sensing the two Hounds closing on him, Will took off down the edge of the stream. The wounds in his chest were burning. Disgusted with himself, Will pulled himself back to his body.

Opening his eyes, he felt the world turn upside down, Throwing out a hand, he tipped the bowl over, the water splashing out onto the floor. Pain flared in his chest again, his breath coming in short. Looking down, he could see where the Hound's teeth had bitten into him. Carefully ripping the shirt open, he could see he was also injected with something. He should have known that the Hound's bite was poisonous.

Summoning up his energy again, he closed his eyes, controlling his breathing and focusing on the wounds to heal. For a second, they refused, the poison pumping through his system. Finally, it began to kick in, the skin and muscles regenerating as the white blood cells targeted the poison. Five minutes later, the only remnants of the wounds were the blood on his ripped shirt.

God he was already getting tired, the astral projection taking more than what he had bargained for. Still he couldn't stop now. There were two more Hounds on Kim's tail and she wasn't near the Gates. On the other hand, it wouldn't help her if he collapsed from exhaustion. He had to pull in energy from around him before he could go back.

Sighing, Will tried to calm himself down. Restless energy would hamper him to the point the pulling of energy would be pointless. Inside his mind, Will imagined the blue and black flames calming, turning from raging flickering tongues to a calm steady burn. Once he accomplished that, he turned outside, reaching out into space.

Different colors swirls arced within everything, easily swirling in swift currents. When he had first gotten a glimpse of it, the scene resembled someone on an acid trip. Even the empty parts of space had energy swirling inside, a cloudy white clear color. The Sun in the distance was burning a bright yellow orange, the moon a dim silvery white and the Earth an incandescent beautiful blue-green. Calm, Will dipped himself into the energy, slowly redirecting and pulling it into himself. The tired and exhausted feeling he held within began to slip away. The power entered him, flowing through his senses, then back out.

Just as he was about to fill himself up, his senses kicked in. Kim was in danger. Already, her pain was entering his mind. Body and mind thrown out of whack, Will fell out of his meditative state, the connecting with the universe around him lost.

Jumping to his feet, Will grabbed the bowl and refilled it, the seconds slipping away. Setting it back down in the center of the candles, he forced himself to calm down. It was taking too long, time Kim no longer had. Finally, after an eternity, he was back in the Valley in his Wolf form. He shot off, heading to where he felt Kim.

Entering the clearing, his eyes immediately fell upon the monster right over her, sword pointing down. Roaring in pure fear and anger, Will shifted. His Katana flashed out, meeting the thing's sword head on.

"So you are the being that has been helping her." The monster moved, his sword swinging in from down low. Will stepped back then moving forward again as his blade stopped the attack. He pushed, forcing his opponent to give ground. Will let out a grunt of surprise as vines erupted out of the ground, tightening around his ankles.

"What the fuck?" Without thinking, Will used his powers, instantly freezing the vines. Kicking free, he flipped backwards as the thing charged him. Vines erupted out of the ground where his hands had been. _I have to keep moving or they'll get me. _He couldn't keep flipping and running. Doing so would quickly tire him even more to the point either those vines would get him or the monster would. _Unless I kill the thing first. _Will stopped, his leg arching out to kick the monster back to the edge. Almost immediately, vines erupted out heading for his hands. Will caught one, the thorns digging into his glove but not breaking through. Grinning at the monster, he froze the vine. It turned into solid ice. He kept pouring energy into it, the vines around Kim also freezing.

"NO! What are you doing to my beloved plant?"

"I'm exterminating a weed." Will let go of the vine, held up in the air like a badly formed stalagmite. Will bent backward, the sword curving the air right above him. Frozen vines shattered as they moved across the ground. Moving closer, Will arced his sword in, cutting off a wing. The monster roared in pain, reversing his move. Will stepped away, pulling his sword out and swinging down. The blade caught the monster's shoulder, ripping open a long gash. Dark green blood spilled, smoke rising from where it fell. Taking advantage of the distraction, the thing caught him in the thigh. Will didn't think, lashing out with his katana. This time the blade bit through, the tip coming out from behind. The monster gurgled and died.

Checking sure it was dead, Will moved to where Kim was. He broke the frozen vines, checking her over. Cuts from the thorns were all over her body along with other older wounds. Carefully, he pulled him from the trap that had caught her. Moving her short ways from the body of the last Hound, Will went to work on her.

As easily as he could, he began searching for the poison that was killing Kim. He could sense the network of veins and arteries within Kim's body, from the tiniest capillary to the aorta. Inside the vessel walls, he felt the dark cells of the poison quickly moving. Just as Dulcea taught them, Will imagined the dozens of white cells attacking the poison cells. Imagining the body producing more white blood cells to attack the invaders. Second by second, the number decreased until finally the poison was gone. Shifting his focus, he started to heal the larger wounds but he was quickly tiring.

The cuts would not kill her so Will pulled himself out. Wrapping his arms around her small body, he picked Kim up. As gently as he could, he carried her to where the Gates were. Time was no longer an issue as the overlord had headed back to his castle after the death of Wood Spite and his Hounds. Not believing his luck, Will didn't dare question it.

The journey was slow, made harder by the dead weight in his arms. He was almost there when he noticed that Kim was looking at the pendant around his neck, the one that Jessie had made for him. **I see that you are awake, young Crane. **He said softly as not to startle her.

**What happened? **Kim's voice was soft but her confusion clear.

**You defeated the last Hound. But Wood Spite was about to finish you off when I stepped in. By then, you had already sustained fatal wounds. **Even in his ears, he could hear the regret in his voice. He knew that Kim noticed as well.

**I was dying, was I?**

Will wasn't going to lie to her and he didn't have the mental strength to anyway. **Yes, you were. At the moment, I have healed what I could, including of ridding your body of the poison Wood Spite was able to get into your system with the vines. Anymore, and I would have placed myself in a danger zone that is best left alone. **

**Where are we going? **

**Home. All you have to do now is enter the Gates of Mists and walk through the Tunnel of Conviction. **

**Whoa! Conviction? You never mentioned this before. **

**I am sorry. The tunnel will be where you will face a challenge. It will cause you to doubt an event that occurred in your life that you fell that you may have decided wrongly. You must never doubt yourself and if you do, you must be sincere in your decision to do right. **

**It would have been nice if you told me this before hand, Araya. **Will laughed a little. Kim immediately felt it as she was lying against his chest. **What? **

**You have not changed. **Will walked right through a small river, the water coming up around his ankles, as it was that shallow. **We are almost there. **The cliff rising up above him was carved deep into a mountainside. Rolling mists covered the ground, thick and hard to see through. Despite it, Will could still see the Gates as clear as if the mists weren't there. He had to make sure Kim could see them too. **Do you see it? Can you see the entrance? **

**Yes, I can. It's right there, hidden behind the mists. **Will breathed a sigh of relief.

**Good. From here on, you must walk through the tunnel on your own. If you shall make it, then I will wait for you on the other side. I shall pray for you so the Spirits of the Ninjetti will guide you.** Will set her gently down her feet.

**Thank you. **He didn't quite expect Kim to stand on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. He turned away, eyes averted. Will could sense the hurt rolling off of her. **Sorry. **Came the soft apology.

Will wanted to scream. **It is not your fault. Good luck, Pink Ranger. May the Spirits and Power protect you. **From his position, he watched as Kim walked into the Gates.

**Spyridon- Yeah I told myself I would wait until I got WID done. K, so I lied. I'm still working out on the ending on EV. There shouldn't be more than five chapters left on this story. Maybe even less. Please leave a review! I want to know what you think. **


	19. Keep Me in Your Memories

**REVIEWS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED!**

Chapter Nineteen- Keep Me in Your Memories

//(Wake me up) Wake me up inside

(I can't wake up) Wake me up inside

(Save me) Call my name and save me from the dark//

Will opened his eyes, feelings the aches and bruises in his body. The candles had burned very low. Getting up, he put out the candles and emptied the bowl in the sink. He knew Kim would appear where she had been caught by Die Fencer. Keying his teleporter, he morphed as he appeared in the deserted street. Will wrapped the shadows in the alley around him like a cloak, hiding him from prying eyes and unwanted witnesses. The only thing on were the lights from the street lamps. Minutes ticked on past.

With a large crackling sound, an opening appeared, bridging the gap between this realm and the Valley. A figure dropped, barely caught by Will in time. Kim was unconscious, head lolling, the congealing blood dark spots on her pale skin. Making sure she was still alive, he keyed his teleport again, this time for the area surrounding her home. The forest behind her house contained the light of the flames as he appeared.

Walking up the road, he past the light post with an orange glow. The cool night air was soothing to his tired muscles. Her home was just up there on the hill, a couple hundred yards from the edge of the forest. Once they were about halfway there, Will gently placed her on the ground in a sitting position. He had felt her stir a while ago so he knew she was awake if somewhat groggy still**. You are now home, young Crane. You have defeated Rita and foiled her plans for revenge against you and Tommy. **He brushed her loose hair back. **Don't let anything take Tommy from you. He is your mate and husband. **_Just like me and Beck. Only you guys can be together though._

**Thank you. **

**I did nothing. **

**What's your name? **Will froze. What could compel her to ask a question?

**I have already given you my name. **

**I have a feeling that's not your real name. **

Trying to lead her in a different direction, Will gave a chuckle. **You are correct. Maybe in time, you will learn it. **_Maybe more like never. _A light in the Hart's home turned on. Will knew his time had been cut short. **Your parents are coming for you. **

**Please don't go. **Kim's grip on his arm tightened painfully. He couldn't help the sad smile that adorned his face underneath his helmet.

**I wish I could but I am afraid I cannot. I must leave. Your family is waiting for you. **He began to fade, blending in with the shadows again, quickly retracing his steps to where he could still see them but where the shadows covered him well.

**Wait! **Kim cried out, the shout going straight to his soul. He took a step forward but the door to the home opened.

"KIM!" Will retreated, watching as Tommy and the rest come up on Kim, surrounding her and protecting her. He didn't feel the trail of tears that coursed down his face at the show of unconditional love and acceptance. He wanted to go out there and tell them everything but the fear of rejection held him back. They would never accept him again, his sins too much to forgive. In silence, he watched and yearned for the thing he could never have.

He watched as Kim's father picked her up, taking her back inside the house.

The bond pulled at him, Will subconsciously keying the teleported again to get away from it all.

//(Wake me up) Bid my blood to run

(I can't wake up) Before I come undone//

The two-story house was dark and foreboding. The porch was covered in shadow while the roofs were doused in moonlight. He had lived here when his father and him had moved from Chicago after his mom had died. For over 5 years, he had gotten used to thinking that this house was his home. The feeling had gone, leaving him without a sense of belonging. Will snorted, his breathing misting in the cool air. If he really thought about it, he had lost his home when she had died.

Right now, his father would be sleeping in the master bedroom on the left hand side of the hallway on the second story. His old room would be on the right hand side over the garage. He wondered if his garage lab was still there. The Sentinel Commanded doubted it existed still. Why would his father keep his old things?

He crouched, hands skimming the top of the wet grass. His father. God, how he wanted him back. Tears fell on the grass. For all the powers he had now as the Sentinel Commander, none of them could possibly fix what had been broken by him and by Rita. Would it be easier to just let it go and forgot what he had lost? Could he ever really forget?

Will gritted his teeth. He didn't just escape from Rita to give in so easily but it was so much easier to go up to his dad and beg for forgiveness again. That one rejection in the night had shredded into him, ripping apart every belief he held and cherished into tatters of childhood illusions and hope.

A light came on in the master bedroom window, a shadow moving against the windowpane. Surely, it was one the Rangers or parents calling him to tell Hank that Kimberly had come safe home.

_I'm back, dad. I'm here. I'm safe, so close yet so far. I'm here, I'm here._ Will shouted out in his mind. He stood, edging toward the front door. _I need you, dad. I need you so much. I don't want to be alone again. Please, dad._ He took another light went out and so did the calls in his mind. Will touched his teleport, his soul weary again but the feeling was not just from saving Kim.

He didn't know how long he would be able to keep himself from giving into the darkness of the soul.

He didn't even know if he should just end it all.

Sometimes sleep was so much easier.

As he slept in the dark hulls of _Dead Reckoning_, the Wolf watched over him, amber eyes glowing in the gloom.

//(Save me) Save me from the nothing I've become//

"Who was it?" Janice Cranston sleepily asked as her husband returned to bed.

"Robert. They've found Kim outside their house, relatively uninjured. They took her to the Command Center to get her checked out." Hank slid back into bed, cuddling up to his wife. He kissed her head as she relaxed against him. "All the Rangers are safe. Go back to sleep. Tomorrow, you have your weekly therapy."

"I just want to sleep in. I can learn how to walk later."

Hank chuckled lightly. "Sure, you can." Janice mumbled something before slipping back into sleep. Happy and thankful his wife was back in his arms, Hank followed her into the arms of Morpheus, never knowing their eldest child had been standing outside in the dark a few seconds before.

**Spyridon- Yes I know usually my chapters are around the range of about 8 pages long. Sadly, my muse thought this chapter would be better if it ws this short and I don't to hold this chapter hostage until I find a scene to make it longer. The next chapter will be an epilogue to this story but it will contain some very important bits. Oh, and as I'm writing this stories out of order, you may have noticed that Janice Cranston is back from the dead. Well, all I have to say is she wasn't dead in the first place. A Sleeper Awakens will talk all about Billy's family problems. To get updates on my stories you can either check my profile for short summaries or check out the forum I have created for Power Ranger fanfic loves, the URL which is also in my profile. We have Tanzettigirl and asdeed there. Don't let the name fool you, we welcome all Power Ranger fans from MMPR to the latest show. Catch you soon!**


	20. Epilogue Reunion of Two Friends

**REVIEWS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED!**

Chapter Twenty- Epilogue

//Bring me to life  
I've been living a lie  
There's nothing inside  
Bring me to life//

Zordon watched Kimberly's family left, knowing the Master Warrior would appear soon. The last time he had seen Dulcea was before the Battle of Rainier, when she had given up her title as the Sentinel of Wisdom and taken up the mantle of Master Warrior from her mentor. His old friend and Dulcea's brother Ninjor had also been chosen to leave the vanguard as the Sentinel of Friendship to become the forger for the Temple. That had been the last time he had seen his Carys, the Sentinel of Love, alive. With the burden of her duties, Dulcea had rarely left the Temple of the Ninjetti on Phaedos for fear of those with evil in their hearts would try to access the Great Power. Time ticked on by, Alpha leaving to go recharge for the next day.

Then suddenly, Dulcea was there in her green-white ceremonial robes.

"It has been a long time since we last saw each other." Zordon spoke softly, eyes taking in the lithe form of the Master Warrior. She had barely aged in the time they have been apart. Her hair was still the strawberry blonde as the humans called it, her green eyes glittering with the warmth he remembered when the four of them had been together.

"Indeed, it has." Dulcea approached the warp tube, sad to see her friend still encased there in his prison. "The last we saw each other, Zordon, was at the ceremony before Rainier."

Zordon gazed at Dulcea a little while longer before mentally shaking himself out of his reverie. "I am glad that the Ninjetti Sentinels have been reborn. Too long has the Warriors been asleep."

"They have come finally, bringing a new era of the Ninjetti with them. The Nathadians' role in the history of the Ninjetti has ended once Ninjor and I have passed on beyond the Veil. The Ninjetti will be what it should have been long ago. Once the Royal Guard is found along with the Emperor and the Empress, those who are warriors will hear the call of their Animal Spirits and come to us. Until then, we must wait."

"Will the Guards come from Earth as well?"

"I do not know, Zordon. The Animal Spirits choose who they wish to carry the Powers. It has always been thus." Dulcea removed a box from her robe and placed it on the console before Zordon. Opening it, she revealed the five Power Coins her brother had created in his forge in the Temple. "The last three in your project along with two more as the Silver Archaeopteryx and the Gold Giganotosaurus have joined the ranks of the Ancient Ones to watch over the Rangers. and the chambers of the Order. Choose your five Rangers wisely for battle and war is on the horizon, Zordon."

"I believe I know who will carry the Coins. I will just have to watch them closely before my decision is final. Have you found the White Magnateoron Coin?"

"No, Zordon. We have not found it yet and neither the Grey Velociraptor Coin. In fact, Ninjor felt its destruction."

Surprise filtered over Zordon's face. "The Grey Coin has been in Rita's clutches this whole time. The Grey Ranger has been missing for months now since the last battle the Rangers engaged him in."

"That was when the Coin was destroyed. But be careful, the pieces of the Coin are still located in the Lunar Palace. She does not have the knowledge to re-forge it but one never knows with Rita. She can do something with the remaining power."

Zordon was quiet. If the Coin had been destroyed but the pieces were still in Rita's possession, where was Billy Cranston? And why had the Coin been destroyed if the Grey Ranger was the most powerful weapon in Rita's hands? "Dulcea, are you hiding information from me regarding the one named Billy Cranston?"

"It is more of the fact that I do not know if it will help you or the Rangers or him."

So Dulcea did know of Hank's son. "You do know that the sensors in the Command Center identified him to be the Blue Ranger?"

"I had that feeling, yes."

"Then you know that I was the one who made the decision to give the Triceratops Coin to Rocky DeSantos instead as I felt Billy did not fit my description of the Rangers I needed. Somehow, Rita knew Billy was the one who should have carried the Blue Coin and instilled an anger in him towards me and the Green and Blue Rangers."

"Yes, I know this as well. And perhaps that is the reason why the Spirits chose William to carry the Crest of Courage." Dulcea watched as shock flew over Zordon's face. "He is the Sentinel Commander, Zordon. He was able to escape Rita's control and teleport to Phaedos,. Luckily, I was patrolling the beaches when I stumbled on him otherwise he would have died from the wounds he received."

"He was under spell?"

Dulcea nodded. "At first, Goldar trained him physically to obey him and Rita or risk punishment which is why your sensors never picked up anything suspicious. Once he was taken back, Rita couldn't risk the chance of having him escape again so she placed a spell on him. Unfortunately for her, the Sword of Mazarin protected him when Jason slashed at him during a previous battle. The Dragon Zord also added some when Billy was studying him. This helped him to throw off the spell and escape about 8 months after he destroyed the Grey Coin."

"Why has he not come back yet? His parents are waiting for him." The boy would have so many scars on his physical body and his soul. To have his own family and friends leave him in the clutches of the witch. And they also carried their own scars from the forced torture under his hand, more burden to the heavy weight on his shoulders.

"Right now, his emotions are controlling him, Zordon. Any attempt now will be rebuffed and he will think later it will be too late to connect with his family. The Sentinels are watching over him, making sure he's talking and interacting. Once he is ready, I will send him here."

"There is one thing that has been troubling me, Dulcea. It was the fact how easily the Rangers and their heads of family turned on him. They were close friends before Rita was released but that night, it was as if nothing mattered." The Master Warrior did not know how many times Zordon had pondered the situation. His feelings over it was made worse by the fact the Grey Ranger was not evil as they first had thought.

"I do not know, Zordon. William was never with them the whole time. Rita could have done anything to them and you would not know. The sensors in the Command Center have become old and much has changed since their design."

"You are right. It has been a long time since I have my physical body that I have begun to forget the fact that technology cannot always detect everything."

"I will return to my studies of dimensional spells to see if I can find the spell that will counteract Rita's. Your body may not have aged during the time you were in there."

"I believe it has, Dulcea. Perhaps even at a faster rate." The mage's smile was sad. "If the fates are kind, they will grant me my wish to see Carys again."

"Your brother will be sad to hear of your death. He is hoping that once his son becomes of age, he will be freed from the duties of Lord Prime to come and visit you here on Earth."

"Ryland should worry about Eltar first. Our home planet is still recovering from the last war as are the last races of the Order of Meledon." Zordon noticed the expression on Dulcea's face. "Are there more news?"

"Reports from the edges of the galaxy have stated the sightings of the Feardorcha ships entering the boundaries. The Sentinels had been sent to Bremen to deal with one of Rita's descendents and to destroy her new weapon. The first report stated she had built the warship that was threatening the twin planet. I just finished looking over the video footage from its destruction. The design is similar to the Feardorcha's planet destroyers, too familiar."

"They have come back?"

"If the sightings are true, then another war will soon be on our hands. And I believe the Sentinels are still not ready for battle."

"Their numbers were decimated in the Battle of Rainier. They fled back to the Pegasus Galaxy with the Eltarian fleet behind them.

"Perhaps it was the vanguard and they have sent their entire fleet now. Whatever the numbers, the Order has begun preparations and have sent warships to patrol the galaxy boundary nearest to the Pegasus Galaxy. Any Feardorcha warship that is encountered has been ordered to be destroyed on sight."

"It took all seven races to defeat them. With the Ninjetti gone and the others still recovering, the battle will take longer and the costs greater."

"Hope for the best, Zordon. You have not yet seen the new assault vehicles William has designed. They are superior to any of the Feardorcha war machines. Hopefully, they will be great of an asset as to turn the war into our favor."

"Perhaps."

Dulcea smiled. "It will be just like old time, Zordon. Only we have taken the role of the elders while the younglings go off to battle."

"They will lose many of their loved ones, Dulcea. I don't know if I can handle them seeing them suffer so much pain. I have begun to see them as family in a way."

"We must learn to endure, Zordon. It is all we can do or risk being terminated from this life. May the Power protect you, Zordon." Dulcea saluted him in the ancient ways of the Nathadians before teleporting out. Zordon's gaze rested on the box, the dim light of the consoles glinting off the golden edges.

He will have to make sure William's family was ready if the Wolf Ninjetti ever came back. Yes, he would have to watch over his Rangers and their families.

**Spyridon- This is the end of _Ethereal Vision_. Right now, I'm working on the first chapter of _Forgotten Serenity_ which is set to take place in the last week of October 1994. I'm liking this timeline. :D I've also started a project for creating PR Themetic List which can be found on the CA forum. Any help will be greatly appreciated. But for right now, I'm so enjoying the end of EV. Last chapters are always killers.  
**


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